


Times of trouble

by Beatonen



Series: War and Peace [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Another Oc - Freeform, F/F, and eventually, team JNR too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-02-14 01:19:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 94,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12996714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beatonen/pseuds/Beatonen
Summary: Salem's war started so suddenly that everyone was surprised by it.The first day on the field feels overwhelming. How will this war go?Set a couple of months after Big lights, bigger shadows.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am again, with a story that nobody asked for! :D
> 
> Okay so, in fact, I had this idea even when I was writting Fire and Gold, so maybe you'll notice a few subtle things (or not so sublte) that I put in Fire and Gold, Weiss Alone and Big lights, bigger shadows.
> 
> Anyway, here's the first chapter! It's a little long because I didn't want to finish without proper interracting between the team. I'm like that.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

Team RWBY finished their last year of training with flying colors, passing every test with the best grades of their classes, and celebrating soon after the end of the semester with Blake and Yang’s wedding, that they decided to do in Mistral. They decided to have a more private ceremony, with only family members and close friends, Baxter so handsome in his suit, and as promised, he was the ring bearer, something the boy was really proud of. In the other hand, Ruby was effectively wearing a dress, but Weiss had successfully convinced her to not wear her combat boots, trading it instead with matching flat shoes.

The team had bought a small house in Mistral, someplace to come back to at the end of missions, nothing extravagant but large enough for the four of them, all their supplies and a few spare rooms. And as Ruby and Weiss stayed in their new home, Blake and Yang flew to Menagerie for their honeymoon, in a human-friendly (Thanks to Ghira), five-star hotel just by the beach, entirely paid by none other than Weiss Schnee herself, since, to her surprise, she was still the heir of the SDC, with all the money that came with it.

Unfortunately, Blake and Yang’s honeymoon was cut short by the sudden call of Ozpin himself; the sudden and massive attack of Grimm on towns and villages in Vale’s borders was the first of many signs that the war they all dreaded was finally starting. The former headmaster of Beacon deployed as many teams of Hunters in the widest area as he could, trying to contain Salem’s advancing.

Team RWBY was sent into a town a little deeper in the land, where they thought would be Salem’s next target along with team JNR and another team of Hunters that graduated a few years before them. They thought they would make it in time to stop the Grimm at the gates of the town, but when they arrived, they were already flooding through and into the town, chasing civilians through the roads.

They didn’t wait for the airship to land. They jumped off it, the wind screaming in their ears, using their own landing strategies to get down safely, with a strange sense of déja-vue.

Ruby landed heavily on the ground, between the few holes her bullets created when she had tried to slow her drop, raising a cloud of dust around her. She stood, chambering a round as her weapon unfolded to its full length, glancing around quickly.

They were too late, she thought. It was a slaughterhouse. Dead civilians were littering the streets, blood splashed everywhere, and in her ears, she only could hear the roars of the Grimm and the screams of terrified townsfolks. The dust settled around her, and she jerked her head towards a scream that was nearby, seeing two kids running from a house into the street, soon followed by a growling beowolf, and Ruby jumped into action.

Launching herself forward, she used a bit of her semblance just in time to reach the dark beast just as it was about to claw at the smallest kid, and in one swift movement she sliced off its limb, the beast roaring in fury. Grounding her heel in the dirt in front of the children, she whirled her scythe around and quickly sliced the beowolf in half, her cloak clapping behind her.

As the beast started dissolving, she looked over her shoulder, the two kids looking up at her with frightened eyes, the tallest and probably older of them holding on the other. The unmistakable chime of Weiss’s glyph sounded beside her and she looked up just in time to see Weiss throw ice shards to two coming Grimm as she stepped closer.

“The evacuation airship landed on the other side of town,” the smaller woman told her, loud enough to be heard above the noises around them. “I can protect them with my glyphs.”

The leader nodded, leaving the kids to her as she glanced around, Weiss crouching in front of the terrified children.

“Blake and Yang?” Ruby asked, frowning when she realised that she couldn’t see them.

“They went deeper into town, along with JNR,” the smaller woman reported, guiding the oldest kid by the shoulder.

“Okay,” the leader nodded, keeping her attention on their surroundings. “Our top priority is to evacuate civilians. Tell the others if you see them.”

“Will do.”

Gunfire in a nearby house made them raise their eyes up to the second floor, soon followed by shouting, and after a quick nod to Weiss she ran to the front door, quickly kicking it open.

The ground floor was empty, and panicked shouting and more gunfire came from up the stairs, and she climbed them two by two, seeing what was going on. Another beowolf was inside, clawing at a door and passing its large head through the hole it had made, growling and roaring.

Ruby shot it twice on its side, the powerful rounds enough to make it reeling and whine, and its attention turned to her, growling. It raised to its full height, pulling its lips up to show its teeth threateningly, but the leader, spinning on her heels to add momentum, slammed the back of her scythe on the side of its head, hearing the satisfying crack of the mask, the beast’s massive body tumbling heavily on the floor, and it took a second for it to move on its front legs, shaking its head.

But it was already too late. Ruby placed her blade on the other side of its neck, and squeezed the trigger, using the power of the shot to cut its head clean.

She glanced around, listening to more sounds that could indicate another Grimm’s presence, but she didn’t hear anything suspicious, and so, she made her way to the busted door, seeing a family through the hole in it. She opened the door, nodding to the man who held a gun in a very shaky hand, and she could see a woman with a small child in her arms.

“I’ll get you out of here,” she said with a reassuring smile. “Follow me.”

“You a Huntress?” the man asked, already pushing his wife in front of him as they followed Ruby outside the room.

“Yeah,” she said simply, focused on their surroundings as they made their way down the stairs.

“You’re too late,” the woman whispered behind her, holding the baby closer behind her. “More than half of the people are dead.”

Ruby gritted her teeth, shooting three successive rounds to a coming Creep, falling face first in the dirt as it dissolved.

“We came as fast as we could,” she replied in a low voice.

She could hear the rumbling of an airship and she followed that noise, trying to kill as many Grimm she could see with bullets, trying to keep them away as she escorted the civilians to the waiting airship. But as she got closer, the sound of combat, gunfire and shouting, grew louder and louder, and when they came out of a small alley between two ruined buildings, she could see why.

The Grimm were surrounding the two large airships that were meant to evacuate the civilians, and the Hunters had a hard time to contain them. Even the pilots were out, gunning down as much as they could to help them. Ruby waved for the civilians following her to run to the airship when they were close enough, making sure they were clear of any Grimm, and one of the pilots quickly made them climb inside.

The leader glanced to the side, hearing the familiar sound of Yang’s explosive rounds, and the blonde was at the gates of town, trying to slow the flow of Grimm that entered along with Nora. She saw Blake swing by, planting her blade in the back of an Ursa and killing it before quickly changing targets, the team that she didn’t know working in pairs and making short work of any beasts that came too close.

But they were outnumbered too quickly, losing more and more ground as time went on, and Ruby went back deeper in town, killing every black furred or scaled beast in sight. She brought as many civilians as she could, knowing that they were all doing the same, Yang and Nora doing wonderful work at slowing the flood of Grimm down.

She spun on her heel, firing her weapon to give it the kick she needed to slice three Grimm that surrounded her before they could jump on her, and quickly shouldered her weapon to fire at a Grimm that ran by, but as she squeezed the trigger it clicked empty, and cursing, she reached to her belt, keeping her eyes on the beast as she quickly reloaded her weapon.

If she counted right, this was her last cartridge, and she took a moment to listen, the lack of gunfire telling her that the others were probably running low like her, if they weren’t already empty. She dashed to the Creep that ran away, slicing it in half easily before using her semblance to quickly go around town, checking every road to make sure they weren’t forgetting anyone.

She was about to head back when one of the airships, probably full, took off, its engines rumbling loudly and rising a cloud of dust that made it difficult to see through. She quickly made her way back, meaning to talk to the others to see if they had everyone, until she heard screams, and her heart stopped.

The civilians.

She dashed to the last airship, arriving just in time to see an Ursa chewing off the pilot’s arm and another stomping closer to the open doors, making the civilians inside gather in the back.

“Blake!” she called, shouting the name loud enough so she knew the faunus could hear her before launching herself at the large beast that poked its head through the doors.

Planting her scythe in its side and making it whine, she pulled as hard as she could, making it step back from the airship and gaining its attention. She fired, her blade cutting free from the thick hide as it turned around, and the large Grimm settled its red hot eyes on her, raising to its full height and roaring.

She could see in the corner of her eye the other Grimm dropping the dead pilot and stomping closer to her, and the Ursa in front of her clawed at her, but she raised her scythe to block it, straining from the sheer force of the blow, and with the tip of her weapon pointing to the other, she pulled the trigger.

It hit the Ursa right in its face, bouncing off painfully against its mask as it reeled back and making her spin, bringing the curved blade with the momentum to slice off one of the front limbs from the large beast in front of her. Both Grimm roared in pain and anger, and they both stood on their back legs, towering her menacingly, but she kept a firm hold on her weapon. She heard a swishing sound, and her head jerked to the side, feeling just a hair from her nose Blake’s weapon passing her, the dark blade sinking in the side of the second Ursa’s head, the long, silken ribbon that followed going taut as its owner pulled on it harshly, making the dark beast whine and trip as it was pulled to the side.

Blake landed beside her as she pulled on her ribbon again, dislodging the blade and firing in the beast’s face as it flew back to her hand.

“Good timing,” Ruby commented, keeping her attention on the Ursa in front of her.

“Well, I was a bit far when you called,” the faunus reported, readying her weapon.

“How many rounds do you have?”

“Not much. Everyone is running low, and… from what I’ve seen, we won’t be able to kill them all. There’s just too many of them.”

The Ursa in front of Blake, furious, clawed at her, throwing a paw larger than her head at her, and Ruby jumped to the side as the faunus somersaulted back, quickly slicing in front of her, making a deep gash in the beast’s limb.

“We need to evacuate,” Blake insisted.

The leader quickly glanced over her teammate to look towards the gates, seeing all of the Hunters there, trying to hold the dark beasts there, too many slipping through but quickly killed by the ones that were slightly back.

There were a constant flow, no time to breathe, all of them slowly but surely stepping back and giving more ground to the Grimm, and she gritted her teeth.

“Okay,” she nodded. “After we finish here, we’ll get the word around.”

“Understood,” Blake nodded sharply.

The faunus launched forward, throwing her weapon, and Ruby settled her large blade back, chambering a round. The beast in front of her seemed mad to have lost its limb, and it wasn’t paying her much attention as it was whining and growling, and she fired to spin around, using the power it gave her to sink the blade in the deep cut she made earlier in its side, but it stopped as it was about to cut it in half, stuck in a piece of its bone armor.

The Grimm bucked, stumbling on its feet, growling weakly, and she pulled on her weapon, her tired muscles trembling slightly as the blade finally cut through, the beast falling down and dissolving. She hadn’t realised she was panting, her mouth dry and feeling like it was filled with dirt and dust, and she looked over to see that Blake was finished with hers, too.

She noticed, above the faunus’s head, the two distinctive paws of a Beowolf, clawing into the wood of the walls surrounding the town, and soon, its head appeared above the top of it, snarling.

“Shit,” she let out, turning towards it.

Blake quickly followed her line of sight, soon followed by a curse of her own when they realised that the Grimm was climbing the walls, since the gates were a no-go. The faunus glanced to the airship, then to the leader, her grip tightening on her weapon.

Gold and silver locked together. They had to leave. Now.

Ruby gave her a short nod, and with a shot of semblance, the leader appeared near the gates in a flurry of petals, turning on herself to swing her scythe and kill two Grimm that slipped past her sister.

“Fall back!” Ruby shouted, her voice loud and clear for everyone within earshot. “They’re climbing over the walls; we have to go!”

The leader of the older team glanced back to the airship and he saw Blake shooting at the heads poking over the tall wooden walls, trying to make the Grimm fall from it, and he looked back at the gates to the snarling and growling flood of Grimm still coming through, gritting his teeth.

“Fall back!” he ordered to his team.

Jaune didn’t have to call it for Nora and Ren; he spent enough time with Ruby to trust her calls. As quickly as they could the Hunters stepped back, still working to keep the Grimm from the airship, but soon, too soon to Ruby’s liking, Blake called for help. Ruby glanced over her shoulder to Weiss, and without a word when their eyes locked, she pointed at Blake with her chin, and the smaller woman nodded in understanding, setting a glyph under her feet and quickly gliding over to their teammate.

One by one they climbed in the airship, starting to get overwhelmed as the Grimm spilled from the gates, and despite Blake and Weiss’s effort, over the walls too.

“Wait,” Weiss said, her eyes on the dead pilot. “Who’s going to fly this thing?”

“We have a pilot!” Ruby said back, squeezing the trigger of her weapon, and gritted her teeth as she heard it clicking empty.

Before Weiss could say something, Yang climbed inside after one last punch into a Creep, making it fly into the mass behind it, and went to the front of the airship, quickly flipping up switches as she sat in the seat.

The engines roared alive, and Nora fired her last grenade in front of the wall of Grimm, creating a large blast that sent them flying, giving them time to climb on board, and before Ruby could order it, a wall of ice circled the airship, tall enough to hold them off while they had enough power to take off.

But the Beowolf had learned their lesson with the walls of the town, and they could see them start climbing the cold surface, more quickly than everyone liked.

“Yang?” Ruby called over her shoulder, keeping her eyes on the dark silhouettes she could see through the ice. “Now would be a great time.”

“We’re not good yet,” the blonde answered, out of sight. “Hold on a little longer!”

The leader looked around her, seeing the other Hunters starting to get nervous, and her gaze turning to the civilians, pressed together in the back, some crying as they thought they would die so close to safety.

“Yang!” she insisted, returning her attention to the Grimm.

They were nearing the top. They _had_ to take off. Now.

“Look, I can’t go faster than the airsh-” Yang started, and she must have looked up from the board in front of her, because it was followed by a very loud, “Shit! Taking off; hold on to your belts, guys!”

They heard the engines rumbling louder; forced to function earlier than they should, it made the entire frame shake, but still, they could feel when it wasn’t touching ground, and some of the Beowolf had reached the top of the iced wall. A few of them seemed to have the same idea as they crouched, preparing to jump on the vehicle, but before they could do it, Weiss flicked her wrist, and the iced walls exploded, sending shards of ice through the mass of Grimm gathered around it, killing a large porting of them in one blow.

It also gave them enough time to get some altitude, safety in the air, and they could see the extent of the Grimm’s presence; the entire town was surrounded by dark bodies, and just as they were going away, they could see, coming out of the nearby forest, six Deathstalker and a bunch of larger Ursa, taller, bigger, with large spiky ends to their armor.

“We never could have defeated all of this,” the leader of the older team, Ruby remembered his name as Jade, whispered, baffled. “They’re far too many. This is insane!”

Jaune stepped closer, taking a firm grip on the nearby handlebar to look down, nodding after a short moment.

“We have to report this. We can’t hold them off with just three teams if they’re that many.”

“Yeah,” Ruby sighed, keeping her eyes on the overrun town, seeing that the Grimm had started back into the forest.

“Guys!” Yang called from the front of the airship, gaining everyone’s attention. “We have company!”

Blake was the first to move, bolting to the pilot’s side, soon followed by Ruby and Jade, and, in the distance, they could see a Lancer swarm approaching.

“Great,” Jade groaned. “Just to make our day better.”

“Tell the civilians to hang on to something,” Yang told them. “It’s going to move a lot, back there.”

Blake nodded, quickly exiting the cockpit and Ruby could hear her talking in the background as she focused on the coming fight, thinking fast.

“We don’t have any bullets left,” Jade muttered, keeping his attention there, too. “Does this thing have a gun?” he asked to the pilot.

“No,” Yang was quick to answer.

“Dammit,” the older leader muttered.

“Weiss!” Ruby called, returning to the back of the airship and seeing her partner waiting for a command. “We could use your magic right about now.”

Pale eyebrows furrowed, and before she could ask for more details, Jade came back from the cockpit, sighing deeply.

“A Lancer swarm.”

The smaller woman raised her eyebrows as she nodded before looking down at her weapon, rolling her dust barrel to see what she had left.

“I don’t have much left, but I’ll make do,” she reported.

“You mind having a little company?” Ruby asked, and Weiss raised her head, waiting for her partner to tell her what she had in mind. “Blake! I want Monochrome on the top of the airship!”

The faunus turned her attention around as she was dealing with the civilians with the rest of the Hunters, and she stalked closer, a small smile pulling her lips when she looked over at Weiss.

“Want to make a part two of the stunt we did with the White Fang’s paladin?” the smaller woman asked her teammate, and Blake’s smile widened.

“Just be careful,” Ruby reminded them, and before they climbed on top of the airship, she added, confident, “And give them hell!”

“You got it,” Weiss smiled.

Then, the smaller woman casted a glyph, both of them stepping on it and they were lifted outside the opened doors, disappearing quickly. When she looked back, Ruby noticed that Jaune had already asked the few of them with still a few rounds left in their weapons near the doors, and be the back-up plan, or support if Blake and Weiss needed it.

Ruby went back to the cockpit, watching the swarm getting closer and not liking one bit the number of flying Grimm she was seeing.

“Who’s on the roof?” Yang asked.

“Blake and Weiss. The others are guarding the doors.”

The blonde nodded, her hands tightening on the controls of the airship.

“Ruby…” Yang let out, low enough to make sure that nobody else heard what she was about to say. “This doesn’t look good.”

“I know.”

“No, I mean, we were nearly wiped out, back there. We had years to prepare for this,” the blonde insisted, quickly glancing up at her before returning her attention outside.

Ruby gritted her teeth, curling her hands into fists.

“I know,” was all she could say.

Then, they saw large, purple arcs of energy coming from Blake’s weapon, powered with one of Weiss’s glyphs, meeting with the nearest Grimm, a number of them slices or hurt enough to fall, and it was soon followed by numerous shards of ice.

A couple hit home, sending the Grimm down, but still, many kept buzzing closer, and Blake and Weiss worked quickly, trying to kill as many as they could before the swarm got too close.

Yang tried to fly past the Grimm, but the Lancer followed right away, and instead, the blonde accelerated, deciding to ram her way through it, and if she could get a couple of bugs on the bumper, then it was already that.

The airship bucked and shook when they entered the swarm, ramming on a couple and effectively injuring them enough to fall down, and sooner than they expected, they were out of it. Yang started cheering until they heard a shout, and before they could ask what was going on outside, they felt the airship drop, alarms starting blaring and red lights flashing in the cockpit.

“What’s going on?” Jaune yelled, holding on for dear life onto the nearest bar.

“They attacked the engines!” Yang reported, pulling on the steering wheel as it was shaking hard. “Left rear is busted!”

“Ren, Nora!” Jaune ordered, and the two nodded without a word before going to the back of the airship and using the trap door on the ceiling to get to the top.

“I’ll go, too,” Jade reported, readying his war axes and disappearing soon after Ren and Nora.

Ruby turned to Jaune, the other leader looking greener and greener as the seconds went by, each bumps making it worst.

“Are you okay?” Ruby still wondered, stepping closer and touching his shoulder.

He nodded, trying his best to fight off the nausea as he straightened his back.

“Okay. Can you stay with the civilians? I’ll help Yang.”

He made a thumb up without a word, and stumbled deeper in the back, and Ruby watched him go before returning with her sister, seeing the blonde straining to keep them flying straight.

“You okay?” she asked Yang, worry starting to settle in.

“If another engine goes out, we’re going to crash,” the blonde panted. “If they clear out the swarm quickly, though, I’ll be able to make the trip, but the landing might be a little tricky.”

The leader smiled, her hand falling on her sister’s shoulder.

“You got this,” she told her.

“‘Course I do,” Yang muttered. “I’m awesome.”

“Is there something I can do?”

“Not really, but you could be my cheerleader,” the blonde huffed, one side of her lips pulled up in a smile.

And so, Ruby waited anxiously with her sister, seeing on the board the damage report that was up, and that the right rear engine was taking more and more damage, and the leader had the increasing feeling that they were fighting inside a tin can, and that didn’t help matters. But still, before the engine broke down, the Hunters that went out came back, tired but satisfied.

Ruby sighed in relief along with her sister. They were still a long way from Vytal, the fortified city their point of rally in Vale’s kingdom, but for now, they were safe.

 

****

 

They finally landed after a few bumps, and as soon as Yang had turned off every switches and pulled back the lever, she sat back in her seat and closed her eyes, sighing deeply. Ruby patted her sister’s shoulder, squeezing it shortly.

“Good job, Sis,” she told her gently.

The blonde huffed, but still, a smile pulled her lips.

“Hey, I had to leave my honeymoon for this. Might as well save people.”

The leader huffed quietly, squeezing one last time before exiting the cockpit and helping the civilians off the airship, careful and gentle, and she could see how exhausted everyone was. She could see, outside, some people of the Vale’s military guiding the civilians to a building, distributing blankets and paramedics looking over them quickly, and as she climbed down, one man stepped closer, his hands behind his back, the numerus medals pinned to the front of his jacket indicating he was one of the high ups in the military.

Of course, in a crisis like this, they had to work with the military. Ruby just wished they didn’t have to be so… As Yang put it, so ‘stick-up-the-butt’.

“Leaders!” the man called with a booming voice as he stopped in front of their damaged airship.

“Team RWBY, reporting in,” Ruby answered, her voice clear as she mimicked the man’s position.

“Team JODY, reporting in,” Jade called in the same way.

“Team JNR…” Jaune’s voice was wavering, the bumpy landing had messed up his stomach.

“Speak up so I can hear you, boy,” the military man barked, and Ruby had to fight not to roll her eyes, instead reaching over and patting Jaune’s back until he straightened his back.

“Team JNR, reporting in,” he finally let out, his voice clearer.

The man nodded promptly.

“Any casualties?”

“No sir,” this time Jade took the initiative as he stepped forward. “But we met a swarm of Lancer on the way, and the airship needs repairs.”

“You didn’t bring back as many civilians as the other airship we had sent at your location,” the man started.

“The Grimm were already there by the time we arrived,” Jade explained.

The military man sighed deeply, nodding, before turning on his heels, talking over his shoulder.

“Leaders meeting in fifteen minutes, war room.”

And he walked away, keeping his hands on the small of his back, and Ruby sighed deeply as she heard someone climb off the airship, and she looked over her shoulder.

“Geez,” Yang muttered, placing her hands on her hips as she stared at the man that was walking away. “Can’t he at least welcome us back?”

“We should get some rest,” Weiss proposed, appearing with Blake in tow. “As far as I understand it, we won’t stay here for long.”

“Yeah, you do that,” Ruby approved. “I’ll debrief you when I come back.”

“Sounds good,” Blake answered, already taking Yang’s hand and dragging her towards the tents that were put up, deeper into the place.

Ruby watched them go with a small, sympathetic grimace. They just had been married, and they went from California king sized bed that felt like a cloud on a beach side to a small cot that they couldn’t fit together, in a tent that they had to share with their teammates in the middle on a Vytal compound.

“Are you alright?”

Her attention was brought back by her partner, Weiss still by her side and brushing her hand against Ruby’s discreetly.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” the leader smiled reassuringly. “You did awesome work, today, Weiss. Go get some rest. I’ll be back in a bit.”

The smaller woman responded to her smile with one of her own, squeezing her fingers before jogging away to catch up with the other half of the team, and she looked at them go for a moment. She could see Blake and Yang holding hands as they talked, the blonde dragging her feet and probably complaining about how tired she was, and Weiss soon catching up on them with a remark of some kind that only caused Yang to laugh, before she wrapped her prosthetic arm around her frail shoulders. Weiss elbowed her sharply but didn’t pull away, and it was like that that Ruby lost sight of them as she was blocked by another tent.

Ruby sighed, coming back to reality as the noises around her came back to her ears, and she was about to enter the building when she noticed that Jade was staring at her with a strange expression, and she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

“Your team,” he said, stepping closer to her. “You all look like you’re closely-knit, as they say.”

She shrugged, a small smile on her lips.

“Yeah, well, we went through some things, you know? Also, Blake and Yang just got married, and Weiss is my girlfriend, so I guess it’s another reason why.”

“Oh… I see.”

“Okay,” Jaune appeared beside her, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go to this meeting.”

Ruby nodded and they both started to the building, and she noticed Jade in the corner of her eyes, rubbing the back of his neck with a sigh, before quickly catching up with them.

 

****

 

The meeting had been long, every team leader reporting what they saw, and the conclusion was the same to everyone: too many Grimm. There were also other reports saying that the Grimm seemed _organized_ ; not just attacking in packs like in the wilds, but in waves, and that concerned everyone.

The general called the end of the meeting after designing the next location to each team, and Ruby and Jaune were about to leave with the mass of other Hunters and Huntresses, until a voice they recognised spoke.

“Ruby?” Oscar Pine called, and even after all those years, he still seemed hesitant to talk to her.

She raised her eyebrows when she heard her name, and she stepped aside from the flow of people to try and meet his eyes, and she could see a shudder run over him, and when he looked at her again, she recognised the amber shine in his eyes.

“A word, please,” he said, his voice far more confident this time, before turning his back and starting in a hallway.

It made her grunt eternally; the only thing she wanted right now was her cot. But still, she waved at Jaune and started after Oscar, knowing that he was waiting for her.

And he was.

“Miss Rose,” Ozpin said through Oscar, bowing his head slightly. “How are you?”

“Will this be long? We’re going to be deployed again tomorrow, and I want to get as much rest as I can, so… Oh, I’m fine.”

Ozpin smiled slightly, huffing, and he started walking deeper in the hallway.

“I’ll try to keep this brief.”

They reached the end of the hallway and he opened the door for her, and Ruby sat in one of the padded chairs in front of the desk, finding it comfy against her tired body, and Ozpin silently sat in his chair, leaning on the back of it.

“You know you will have a different path than the rest of the Hunters and Huntresses,” he said bluntly, and it wasn’t a question.

He knew that she knew. And so, Ruby nodded without a word.

He nodded too, bringing the handle of his cane in front of him so he could hold it with both his hands.

“Good. Then you know that, when we will know Salem’s location, you and your team will be pulled back to find her. Correct?”

Again, she nodded without a word, and now more than ever did she just wanted to leave. To just stand up, and run as far as she could, hoping that nobody would find her again. But the thought of how much pain it would cause her sister and friends was enough to hold her back. That, and the thought of one very angry heiress that would stop at nothing to find her again, only to yell at her about how irresponsible it was of her to run away like that.

She had to bite her lips to not smile.

“Did I say something funny?” Ozpin asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

“No, I was just… thinking of something else.”

“I don’t think you can afford to be distracted, Miss Rose,” he furrowed his brows, considering her solemnly. “The fate of the world rest on your shoulders.”

She didn’t say anything at that, and so the former headmaster cleared his throat, straightening his back.

“Your team will be deployed with the others for the time being, and I'll have my best tracker trying to find her. If we can eliminate Salem quickly, the Grimm will be at a loss, and it will be the best time for us to wipe them out. For good.”

He paused, turning the cane in his hands.

“In the meantime, we have to do our best, and save as many people as we can.”

Images of the bodies lying scattered in the dirt from earlier this day flashed in Ruby’s mind, and she closed her eyes, swallowing thickly. The words of the woman resonated in her ears as if she was in the room with them.

_You’re too late._

“Will the Grimm stop existing if Salem is eliminated?” she asked, opening her eyes to look up at Ozpin.

Well, Oscar. Anyway.

“It’s a theory,” the man nodded.

Ruby nodded, lowering her eyes for a second.

“So, for now we wait?”

“Like I said, I have my best people on this.”

“Where’s uncle Qrow? Is he one of the trackers?”

Ozpin laughed quietly, shaking his head.

“Your uncle is good at spying and following people without them knowing; but he’s not so good at actually finding someone that has disappeared for years. No, I gave him the task of finding the man who will find Salem.”

“You just said Qrow wasn’t good at finding people,” Ruby huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“The man he is searching hasn’t disappeared for years. He just… prefers to be alone.”

She hummed and took a sharp breath in, straightening her back.

“So you brought me here today to tell me things I already knew… or is there new information you wanted to tell me?” she added, raising her eyebrows with a smile.

Ozpin pinched his lips in empathy, lowering his head.

“Unfortunately, no. But the point of this meeting, Miss Rose, is to insist on the importance of your role in this war. One that you mustn’t forget.”

“Don’t worry, Professor Ozpin,” she said as she stood, locking her eyes with him. “I’m not forgetting.”

“Good,” he bowed his head slightly. “Then you may go back to you team, and I will meet you again with new information. Have a good night.”

Ruby thanked him quickly before exiting the office, and she walked around the building on autopilot, Ozpin’s words echoing in her ears, along with the woman’s.

Today was really not a great day.

 

****

 

She finally was laying in her cot, on her back with her hands under her head, listening but not understanding to the far away conversations, the noises of wheels rolling on concrete, the wind making the flaps of the tent clap… It was night, the sun had set for a few hours now, but still the place buzzed with activity, and she had found the tent empty of her team. Not that she really minded right now. Letting herself appreciate this moment of peace.

She was sighing when she felt a light hand on her knee, and she jumped, startled, opening her eyes wide only to see Weiss, smiling at her, illuminated by the weak light coming from the Dust-powered lantern that hung from the central beam.

“Sorry,” she said quietly, her smile turning in a small grimace for a short second. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay, I just didn’t hear you coming.”

She reached out, her arms open, opening and closing her hands in a manner that was nothing but insistent and needy, and Weiss raised a single eyebrow at that before giving in with a sigh, climbing on top of Ruby.

“Is it sturdy enough to hold both our weight?” the smaller woman wondered quietly as she settled between the leader’s legs, tucking her head under Ruby’s chin and slipping one of her hands under the leader’s back, keeping the other close to her.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Ruby muttered under her breath, closing her eyes again. “I just want you close.”

Weiss straightened her head, leaning her chin on the leader’s chest to look at her, her white eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“Are you okay?” she whispered, her voice gentle.

Ruby nodded, returning one of her hands under her head, keeping the other of Weiss’s back, her fingers drawing gentle patterns.

“Jaune came by earlier, said that Ozpin wanted to talk to you?”

The leader hummed positively, and the smaller woman sighed quietly.

“What did he say? You said you would debrief us, but you didn’t even come by the cafeteria. Have you already eaten?”

“No,” Ruby shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

Weiss propped herself on her elbows and it made the leader open her eyes, an amused smile pulling her lips when she saw the start of a scowl on the smaller woman’s face.

“You’re really not okay, because my Ruby would never pass up a chance to eat.”

It made her snort, smirking.

“‘Your Ruby’?” she repeated, playful.

Still, Weiss nodded solemnly, reaching her hand to push back a dark lock in front of her eyes. She had cut it, a few weeks ago, retrieving the short bob she had when she first started at Beacon. Weiss had been saddened by her decision, liking her long hair, but she liked her short hair, too.

“So tell me,” Weiss murmured, her fingers playing in dark hair. “What happened?”

She sighed deeply, staring at the ceiling of the tent, enjoying the feeling of Weiss’s touch.

She didn’t know why she always tried to memorise it. Why she wanted to memorise everything about her. She just had a feeling, a feeling that it wouldn’t last.

“Not much,” she finally answered. “Ozpin just reminded me how the faith of the world was resting on my shoulders.”

At the darkening look Weiss gave her, she raised her hands in defense.

“That’s literally the words he used!”

Now it was Weiss’s turn to sigh deeply, and she lowered her head, leaning her forehead on Ruby’s chin, the leader kissing it tenderly.

“Is there something else?” she asked after a moment, raising her head.

The leader shrugged, keeping her eyes on the white lock she was playing with.

“There’s also a lady who told me I was too late to save the town, today,” she let out very quietly.

The smaller woman almost stopped breathing at that, and after a few seconds, she tapped Ruby’s hip.

“Scoot.”

The leader shifted to lay on her side, giving Weiss enough room for her to lay on her side too, although they were pressed together, their legs a tangled mess, the smaller woman resting her head on Ruby’s folded arm. Weiss looked at her, her gorgeous sky-blue eyes seeming to be alight in the flickering light, and she reached up, caressing her face softly, making her close her eyes and lean into the touch.

“Ruby…” Weiss started, before trailing off, but the leader understood anyway.

“I know,” she breathed, moving to kiss her palm. “It wasn’t my fault.”

“And it’s really not,” the smaller woman gently insisted. “Technically, we were early. But, so were the Grimm, so…”

Ruby exhaled through her nose in a long breath, leaning over to press her forehead with Weiss’s, smiling when she bumped their noses together.

“Is there something I can do for you?” the smaller woman asked, blindly finding her hand and lacing their fingers together.

“Just stay with me, for tonight,” she murmured, closing her eyes. “You’re all I need right now.”

“Okay,” Weiss let out as quietly as Ruby. “Hey?”

The leader opened her eyes as she felt the smaller woman brush their lips together.

“I love you,” Weiss whispered on her lips.

Ruby took the time to let the words sink in before she leaned over, taking the smaller woman’s lips in a very soft and gentle kiss, one that felt so safe that she wondered if she ever wanted to get out of that feeling.

“I love you too,” she breathed back. “You have no idea.”

Ruby herself couldn’t even tell how much she loved Weiss. How far the length of her feelings for this one woman reached. Maybe it could englobe the entirety of Remnant. Maybe it went farther than that, going from one galaxy to another. She couldn’t say for sure, but she could say that it felt like it was infinite.

 

****

 

“Do you think Ruby’s back?” Blake asked, her head thrown back to look at the stars, guided by Yang’s arm around her waist.

She was pretty sure that usually, the stars would be as pretty as they were in Menagerie here, but because of the lights they had to put all around the compound, where all the tents were, they couldn’t see as many as she would like.

“I hope so,” the blonde sighed, her eyes to the stars, too.

“I think I’m going to buy a telescope for Bax’s birthday,” the faunus absentmindedly said, furrowing her eyebrows a little. “A good one. With recent star charts, and I’ll bring him to the grottos where we went on a date. I want to look at the stars there with him.”

Yang smiled. The stars always reminded them of him.

“That’s a good idea,” she softly said, squeezing her wife’s hand.

“We never get to stay with him for long,” Blake let out, lowering her head, her eyes on the grass. “We always have to leave in a couple of days or a week. When this is over,” she said, looking up at Yang, “When this war is over, I want to spend more time with our son.”

The blonde stared at her, stupefied for a moment, long enough for the faunus to start frowning.

“What?”

“No, it’s just…” Yang started, her voice tight, and she cleared her throat before it would break, feeling the rush of tears to her eyes. “I think it’s the first time you call him that. ‘Our son’. I’m…”

Her voice cracked and she cleared it again, trying her best to blink the tears away, and Blake pulled away slightly to better look at her, still keeping the blonde’s hand in hers.

“I’m very tired right now,” Yang chuckled, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt a tear roll down her cheek, sniffling.

“You know I love him,” Blake gently let out, catching the tear with her thumb when she cupped the blonde’s cheek.

“I know, but just hearing you say it makes it so real, and I’m- I’m a big softy, you know that,” Yang sniffled again, pulling the faunus closer to press their foreheads together. “I want to spend more time with our son too, when this is over. And God, I love you so very much.”

The faunus laughed, and Yang knew that Blake, too, was getting emotional, probably because of her, but she didn’t care. They were alone, out of sight behind the rows of tents and hidden in the shadows it created, two women embracing each other, enjoying their moment alone together.

“I want to see him grow up, you know?” the faunus murmured, sniffing. “I want to _not_ realise it, actually. I’m tired of just, whenever we see him, we notice that he’s a couple of inches taller. I want to stay long enough for me to not notice it. I want to see him get up in the morning because he has to go to school. I want to be there when he comes back.”

“I want to see him grumpy when he wakes up, I want to see him complain that it’s too early. I want to have a routine that is ruled by five school days, not by five months of missions. Just for a while. As long as it’ll take me to be tired of doing nothing, I want to be there with him.”

Yang smiled, quickly rubbing her eyes to get rid of the tears, and she cleared her throat again.

“You know what I want to show him?” Yang asked her, circling her arms around her wife’s waist. “I want to show him how to ride my bike.”

Blake chocked a laugh, lightly slapping the blonde’s back.

“Absolutely not. I don’t want him to ride your bike at break-neck speed.”

“Still,” Yang smiled, closing her eyes, “This is a good idea. When this mess is over, let’s go home for a while.”

The faunus nodded, their foreheads still pressed together, and the blonde only had to slightly angle her head for Blake to meet her halfway, sharing a soft kiss under the stars.

They finally went back to their tent, seeing that there was still light inside, and when they entered, they could see Ruby and Weiss squished together to fit on the far-too-small cot, the two fast asleep as their limbs were tangled together.

Trying to be as discreet as possible, Blake tiptoed her way to her own cot, sitting on it with a sigh to pull off her boots before she noticed that Yang had stepped closer to their sleeping teammates, and she could see the blonde looking over them with a soft expression, and she could see her lilac eyes filled with tears again.

Blake stood up again and made her way to her wife, whispering in her ear to make sure she wouldn’t wake anyone.

“What is it? Are you okay?”

Yang nodded, sniffling, before sending her a mocking glare.

“This is because of you,” she playfully grumbled. “It’s hard to close the gate when it’s open. But I was looking at them and… I just realised how much they have grown, you know? I mean look at them.”

She gestured to their teammates, and the faunus looked at them, and as she did, Yang pointed at this and that, explaining.

“Look at Ruby; she has lost her chubby child cheeks, and see her chin? That’s Summer’s chin right there. The more years that pass, the more she looks like her mother. And look at Weiss. See her features? She doesn’t look like a teenager anymore. Her face is made straight out of a royalty mold, mold that is called adulthood. Twenty-one and twenty-three years old.”

The blonde sighed as she rested her hands on her hips, furrowing her brows deeply, and Blake looked at her again.

“Right under my nose, they-” her voice wavered and she stopped before it would break, swallowing before trying it again. “They grew up. They grew up so much, and I’m realising it just now. Damnit, Blake, I don’t think I could be prouder than I am right now.”

The faunus gently hugged her as her gaze stayed on their teammates, understanding the sentiment, while Yang rubbed her hand over her face to catch the tears that fell with a grunt.

“God, I really have to go to bed,” the blonde mumbled, making Blake chuckle. “I’ll tuck them in. Can’t leave them like that, Weiss is going to complain that she’s cold.”

“Okay,” the faunus kissed her cheek before returning to her cot, preparing to go to bed.

“I guess the debriefing will be in the morning,” Yang let out as she went in the back to fetch a blanket.

The blonde puffed it in the air before letting it fall gently over them, covered up to their shoulders, and she pulled on the blanket for it to fall evenly but the movement was enough to make Weiss stir in her sleep, being the light-sleeper that she is, and as Yang was about to shush her back to sleep, one eye opened, the blue seeming so clear against her pale skin.

“Yang?” the smaller woman asked, the name dragging in the sands of sleep.

“It’s okay, don’t mind me,” the blonde smiled, leaning over to gently pet her hair. “I’m just tucking you in.”

Weiss made a noise that was a mix of a hum and a soft grunt, blinking lazily.

Clearly, her mind was still sleeping.

“I can’t feel my hand,” she mumbled, her pale eyebrows drawing closer.

“You wanna turn around?”

The smaller woman nodded sleepily, and as much as Yang was careful to not make too much noise or to not touch Ruby to not wake her up, Weiss didn’t seem to mind one second.

“Easy there, you’ll wake Ruby.”

“She could sleep through a cannon firing at her,” the smaller woman grumbled as she wiggled in place to turn around, a scowl on her face. “Trust me. Sometimes, I have to jump on her to wake her up. This is nothing.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow, knowing that her sister could sleep like a log, but… As she looked over her, Ruby didn’t seem the least bit bothered by all the commotion, still deep in blissful sleep.

“Huh.” Was all Yang had to say, then she noticed that Weiss was about to lay her head on the side of her crown-jewelry-thing in her hair. “Want me to take that out?”

The smaller woman sighed, her eyes closed now, and just leaned her head towards Yang, waiting. The blonde, always cautious with hair, worked quickly but carefully, massaging her scalp after it was removed, making Weiss hum quietly.

“Thanks,” she mumbled before pulling away, settling down and pressing her back against Ruby’s chest, reaching over to take the leader’s hand and brought her arm around her, before sighing contentedly.

“Goodnight,” Yang whispered as she leaned over, dropping a soft kiss on the white head.

“You’re being quite motherly, tonight,” she heard Weiss playfully say, but still, the smaller woman didn’t move.

“Heh. Yeah, quite,” she confirmed, a soft smile on her lips. “I love you, princess. Sleep tight.”

She felt Weiss touch her arm in what was meant to be a playful slap but she missed.

“I love you too, you oaf.”

She huffed, leaning over again to kiss the top of the white head, before shifting to the side, brushing back dark locks as Ruby slept, oblivious.

“Goodnight, baby sister,” she murmured against her hair, staying there for a moment as she petted her hair. “I love you.”

Finally, she went to her cot, pulled close to Blake’s, and she turned the light off when she was settled, seeing the faunus’s eyes glow in the dark as she was looking at her.

“Goodnight, my beautiful wife that I love and adore,” she smiled, holding her hand out for Blake to take it, squeezing when she did. “I love you.”

“You are such a dork,” the faunus laughed softly in the dark. “Goodnight, Sunshine. I love you too.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez, you guys are freaking out!   
> I know it's a war story, but don't worry. I love them too much to kill one of them.
> 
> I don't think I would ever forgive myself if I did.
> 
> But they won't get out unscathed, that's for sure.
> 
> Still, I hope you'll like it!

The next time they were deployed, it was for far longer than a single day. It was weeks after weeks of fighting all day, too short nights before doing it all over again, trying as best they could to contain what was almost literally a flood of Grimm all across Vale’s border. People died, Hunters and civilians alike. Too many for Ruby’s liking.

The war was taking its toll on them, coming back at the end of the day exhausted, and waking up the next day even more exhausted because of the lack of rest. It was the same for every team out there.

Fighting against an implacable foe, that didn’t need to rest or to feed or to drink. Always advancing. Always killing.

Fewer and fewer words were exchanged, even when, feeling like a blessing, they were teamed up with JNR. Of course they were happy their friends were alive and well, but even Nora, the endless bubble of energy, seemed… dull.

It felt like an endless war only after three months, everyone passing out as soon as they were out of the fight, and the platoons of military that would take over sometimes never came back in the morning.

Ruby wondered what took so long to find Salem. It made her angry to know that with every passing minutes this… ‘Witch’ was still alive and breathing, hundreds of people died.

Weiss kept reminding her that it wasn’t her fault. That it was out of her control. But Ruby still carried every death, knowing that, because she still hadn’t dealt the fatal blow, this war was still going on.

The Grimm pushed and pushed across the borders, and they somehow made it to stop them before they went too far in-land. Instead, they went for Mistral’s border.

Team RWBY was called back to Vytal for two days of rest, before being sent to Mistral in one of the splinter groups; they had to kill the attack in the egg. This meant, killing every Grimm presence in Mistral’s ground before all of Salem’s forces went there, like they did in Vale.

Knowing that nobody was going to wake them in the early morning to get back to the fight, the team slept one and a half day straight, woken up by hunger, and the food of the cafeteria, far better than the dried rations the military had given them up until now, was enough to give some life back to them, and they had their first good laugh since the war started over Ruby, who ate so fast that she let out a loud burp that echoed in the distance.

It also gave a chance for a shower, even though the water was cold, it was still better than using wet cloth in a spare moments, in the middle of the woods. It also gave a chance for intimacy, even though they had to find somewhere secluded enough. Although, it felt more like an act of desperation than one of passion.

Then they flew to Mistral with a couple of other teams, all of them that they didn’t know, and the feeble sense of contentment that had settled over the past two days died as soon as they climbed in the airship.

They arrived in the dense forests of Mistral, and everything felt different. They had to keep silent to avoid detection for as long as they could, and the teams were separated throughout the jungles.

The air was heavy and humid under the cover of trees, and just walking resulted on all of them covered in sweat. Yang muttered several times about the cooler weather of Vale, or the dry heat of Menagerie was better than this.

And eventually, they found the scouts, if they could call them that. But, they weren’t alone, either.

The team was perched up in one of the highest, thickest branch of a nearby tree, and Blake was sweeping the area with her binocular, reporting everything she could see.

“I don’t know, they seem like they’re fighting already,” she mumbled, furrowing her dark eyebrows.

“We’re the only team in this area,” Weiss said, shrugging helplessly. “Unless the wildlife has decided to take action against them, I don’t know who would fight them.”

The faunus hummed, turning the wheel between her fingers to adjust the lenses.

“I can’t even see who they’re fighting- Oh wait. Bandits.”

She straightened her back suddenly, and Ruby had to set a hand on her back to keep her from falling off.

“Yang, I think you should see this,” Blake said tightly as she pulled the blonde to her, keeping her eyes on whatever she had seen.

“Me?” Yang asked, surprised.

“Yes. Look.”

The blonde stared at her for a second, completely confused, before taking Blake’s spot, muttering under her breath for a moment until she found what her wife wanted her to see. Then, Yang froze, before lowering the binocular slowly.

“What is it?” Ruby asked then, impatient and wanting to get on with it.

Her sister turned her gaze to her, and a mix of surprise and anger was in them.

“My mom,” she answered softly, not quite believing it.

“Raven? Are you sure?”

“I don’t think many people would carry her sword and her helmet.”

The sisters stared at each other for a moment, Blake and Weiss staying silent on the side as the faunus fished back the binocular to keep an eye on the Grimm.

“What now?” Ruby asked, keeping her eyes on her older sister.

“I say we wait for them to clear this pack and go,” Yang answered, coming back from her surprise and letting anger settle in.

“Isn’t this your mother?” Weiss asked. “Don’t you want to meet her?”

“Now is really not the time for a family reunion, Weiss,” the blonde hissed. “Besides, if she really wanted for me to meet her, she would have stayed.”

“Do you know if she has super-hearing, too?” Blake asked suddenly.

They all turned to her, raising their eyebrows.

“I guess not… Why?”

“Because she’s looking right at us.”

They all turned to the clearing where the bandits were fighting the Grimm, and before they could do or say anything, Yang cocked her gauntlets.

“Yang wait-” Weiss tried.

“I don’t want her to think I like staying on the bench,” the blonde interrupted before jumping off the branch.

Ruby sighed when Blake followed suit, pocketing the binocular, and after a glance to her own partner, Ruby and Weiss jumped off.

Yang appeared in the clearance, bursting from a bush and slammed her fist right in the center of an Ursa’s mask, making it crack, before firing and making the beast’s head jerk back as the massive body fell to the ground.

The blonde smirked. One shot, one kill.

Ruby zipped by, whirling around with her scythe and killing three Grimm before she stopped, chambering another round, and she was about to run to her, for her sister was surrounded, and as the beasts stepped closer, she saw the leader smirk. A chime was heard and she could see glyphs under the Grimm’s feet, and as Weiss jumped from apparently nowhere and landed behind her partner, large ice shards erupted from the ground, and if they didn’t kill, they injured enough to make them stop moving, and Ruby finished them off.

She was brought back to present when a Creep jumped in front of her, and before it could try to bite her she slammed her heel on its paw, making it shriek, before bringing her fist under its jaw in an uppercut that left it fall to the ground, its head lolling to the side as it started dissolving. She raised her eyes to the trees, knowing that Blake preferred using height as a vantage point, and she saw her swing by, pulling on the ribbon of her weapon as she was about to land on an Ursa’s back, her weapon reaching her hand as she plunged the blade in its nape, firing three times for good measure.

As Blake jumped back, Yang heard a loud rustling, and she looked to the other side, seeing another Ursa, this one larger than the rest, appear between the trees, and it settled its flaming eyes on her.

She heard her partner’s weapon firing, and out of instinct she reached out, grabbing the dark gun-blade with a glance over her shoulder, and she pulled. The ribbon went taut before coming loose, and she whirled around, grabbing Blake’s wrist, adding her weight to the throw before launching her towards the Ursa at break-neck speed.

She was quick to join Blake as Ruby, Weiss, and the bandits finished the other Grimm. The faunus’s initial strike had hit home, leaving a deep gash on its front, but Yang knew her wife always went for the neck. The Grimm must have protected itself.

As the large beast’s attention was on Blake, the faunus never stopping moving and firing, Yang ran closer, sliding on the side of the beast, and, stomping her foot, punched the side of its knee, firing an explosive round. The Ursa bucked, roaring, throwing a paw that she saw coming enough to try to block it, crossing her wrists together.

Still, the power of the hit sent her flying back, stumbling as she tried to regain her footing, but she felt her aura frizzle, a rush of adrenaline through her veins as a smirk pulled her lips. Feeling her hair start fuming, she knocked her fists together, releasing a burst of power around her that sent two approaching Creep flying, and she dashed to the injured Ursa, preparing her next punch.

Blake heard her coming, and, as she jumped back, fired three bullets on its armor plate, not really doing real damage but annoying it enough for the beast to turn around on its front legs, growling, into Yang’s coming punch.

She stomped her foot, transferring her weight to her other leg as she slammed her fist in the large head of the Grimm, and punched again with her other fist, and again and again, firing every time, until she finished with another uppercut, stepping back when the large Grimm slumped forward, its body dissolving already.

The blonde was panting, some residual flames of her semblance licking her sides as she turned around, and she saw Weiss kill the last Grimm, sending the clearance in silence for a couple of seconds as everyone caught their breaths.

Then, every bandit raised their weapons at them.

Yang gritted her teeth, instinctively stepping closer to Blake as she felt the faunus do the same, covering her back, and Weiss had already raised protective glyphs in front of her and Ruby, until Raven took a step closer, an arm stretched on the side to tell her followers to stay put.

“What do we have here?” Yang heard her say, her voice muffled through her mask.

She kept silent, glancing quickly at the bandits, her fists still clenched tight and ready to dive if anything happened.

“My daughter!” the bandit leader exclaimed, her voice loud enough for the bandits to hear, reaching her arm out to her. “Congratulations, Yang. I heard you got married.”

“How come you know that even if I never heard from you ever since you left me?” the blonde snarled, and she felt Blake’s hand brush over her arm, reminding her to stay calm.

The bandit chief rested her hand on her hip, the other settling across the hilt of her sword. Not in a threatening way, but in the habit of someone used to have that to lean on.

“I always kept an eye on you,” she said, her voice even, sounding like it was more out of obligation than out of affection. “Although, I must warn you; relationships between partners can be… tricky.”

The white helmet turned slightly to the side, and Yang felt her mother’s gaze slide from her to stare at Blake, and she straightened her back, stepping a little in front of the faunus.

“You’re the only one to blame for this,” the blonde said harshly, the helmet going back to her with a slight tilt to the side. “Now, we have a mission. We would like to get back to it.”

“Ah, yes,” Raven nodded, clapping her hands together as she turned on her heels, starting slowly towards Ruby and Weiss, still safe behind the glyphs. “Your mission. You know,” she said, pointing a finger at her, “I heard that your team was special.”

Yang had started walking closer to the other half of the team, taking a step at the same time as Raven did, and Blake was still close, following her like her own shadow.

“Special because of… of your _sister_ ,” the bandit leader let out, acid in her voice when she said the word. “Summer’s daughter.”

She tensed, and she could feel Blake did too, and they made the rest of the way to the other half of the team as Raven reached them, separated by Weiss’s glyphs. She locked her eyes with Ruby, the leader a little confused by the turn of the conversation, and she nodded at Weiss, making the Glyphs disappear at her command, and appearing in front of Raven.

“Do you have something against me?” Ruby asked, her grip firm on her weapon. “Because I don’t know you.”

The bandit leader was still for a long moment, staring at Ruby without a word, and she reached up, pulling off her helmet.

If Yang wanted to know what she would look like when she got older, well here was her chance. Their features were mostly the same, except for the blonde’s nose. That was Tai’s nose. Still, Raven stared at the young leader with her blood red eyes, darker than Qrow’s.

“You…” the bandit leader trailed off, her eyes scanning Ruby’s frame. “You wear our colors.”

A strange expression settled on her face as she spoke in quiet wonder, then her crimson eyes fell on one of the silver cross the leader had pinned on the front of her cape.

“And silver,” the barest hint of a smile appeared on the older woman’s lips as she reached a hand up to touch it. “She always liked silver.”

She didn’t had the chance to actually touch the cross because Weiss made half a step forward, her grip tightening on her rapier, and Raven huffed, raising a dark eyebrow as she looked over the smaller woman.

“That’s a tiny bodyguard you have, Rose,” the bandit leader smirked.

Weiss narrowed her eyes ever so slightly and raised her chin defiantly, meeting the woman head-on, ready to take her and her bandits alone if it came to that. Yang smiled. Weiss would never cease to amaze her.

Raven scoffed at that, returning her attention to the leader as Ruby set a calming hand on her partner’s arm, and Yang could see the hold on the white helmet tightened, ever so slightly, the smirk on her lips disappearing to take the same strange expression she had before.

“I never thought I would… I didn’t think you would look like her that much,” the bandit leader quietly let out, taking a step back.

She took a sharp breath in, her eyes still on Ruby, and was about to put back on her helmet, hesitating for a second. As soon as the white, boney helmet was back on, whatever moment of remembrance Raven was having was gone as she turned her back to them, talking over her shoulder.

“You may not know me, but I knew your mother.”

The mask turned to Ruby once more for a second, before she started walking away.

“You may go, little Rose,” she said, talking loud enough for everyone to hear. “We may not be trained Hunters like you, but we’ve been fighting Grimm for quite a time. And you need our help.” She stopped then, just before the tree line as her followers were slowly disappearing through, “Much like you, I’d like to live. Do your mother justice, and kill that Witch.”

And then she was gone. They found themselves alone in the clearance, Ruby and Yang confused by the entire conversation, if they could call it that. But before too long, Blake reminded them that they had to move, the sun already setting and they had to find someplace to stay that night.

 

****

 

They opted to sleep in trees. Most of the nights they were here, they did that, so they wouldn’t get ambushed, but just to be sure, there was always one of them keeping watch. Sleeping in the trees also meant no fire, and Ruby opened her package of dried ration with a grimace.

Ruby had volunteered to take the first watch, sitting on a branch that was a few below, her weapon folded to its gun form laying on her lap as she glanced around, dangling her legs over. But when she heard someone land next to her, she looked up, about to send Weiss back to sleep, and closed her mouth when Yang was the one to sit beside her, silent.

They stayed like this for a time, both of them swinging their feet a little.

“She never said my name,” Ruby finally said, keeping her voice quiet.

Yang nodded a little, her eyebrows furrowing deeply.

“Yeah, I noticed too.”

“I thought she was mad at me at first, but now I don’t know,” the leader shrugged, toying with one of the screws on her weapon. “She looked surprised. They were friends, right? Mom and… Um, Raven?”

“That’s what I understand,” the blonde sighed, leaning back on her hands. “She seemed… glad to see a familiar face.”

She chewed on her lip for a moment longer before sighing again, short and upset.

“I don’t think she hates you for being Summer’s daughter. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like you because you’re Dad’s second child, which he had with another woman.”

“But why does she care, she wasn’t even there, then!”

“I know, sis.”

The leader immediately lowered her head, her foot twitching a few times, and Yang bumped their shoulders together lightly, earning her sister’s attention.

“Dad did say my mom was a complicated woman,” she said with a small smile, Ruby responding with one of her own.

“How do you feel?” the leader asked her, genuine concern in her silver eyes. “You did meet your mom after all this time.”

The blonde took some time to answer, swinging her legs for a while, and she was glad that Ruby waited for her. Then again, she thought with a smile, her sister _was_ dating Weiss.

“I don’t know,” she finally answered, exhaling through her nose. “We didn’t really had time to chat like I always wanted, but… maybe next time. Right?”

The leader huffed, nodding as she looked away.

“Yeah,” she let out in a breath.

They stayed quiet for a while, listening to the noises of the jungle at night, until the blonde yawned silently. Still, it wasn’t enough to fool her sister.

“You should get some rest,” Ruby told her gently. “We still have a long day tomorrow.”

“And the day after, and the other after that,” Yang muttered, but still obliged, bringing her legs under her. “I was thinking. Maybe it’s because of my mom if it took this much time for our first contact with the Grimm.”

“Yeah, I thought so too,” the leader nodded, furrowing her brows slightly.

“And one more thing?”

Ruby looked up, questioning, and was met by Yang’s teasing smile.

“Try and tell Weiss that she doesn’t have to fight everyone we meet,” the blonde winked, standing. “She’s far too fierce for her size.”

The leader chuckled as she shook her head gently, a soft smile on her lips.

“I already tried to talk to her about that, actually. She’s just… very protective.”

The blonde huffed, ruffling her sister’s hair before climbing back on her branch, retrieving her bedroll near Blake’s, and Ruby followed her with her eyes until she was settled, before her gaze went to her girlfriend, sleeping soundly in her bedroll. As she looked at her, images of her laughing, naked in bed in their bedroom, the few nights they had in the new house while Blake and Yang were away, right before the war started came to her, flooding her head and making her mouth go dry.

She shook her head, looking away. She had to focus.

Because they were still a long way from home.

 

****

 

Two days after their meet-up with Raven and her bandits, they finally found what they were looking for: a very large pack of Grimm, wandering in the jungles and making their way towards Mistral. Only happy to finally go to work, the team wiped out the pack, the sun setting by the time they finished, and they were dragging their feet in the dirt, trying to find a place to stay, when they heard a loud, clear beeping.

They all turned to Weiss, who was the one in charge of the long-frequency radio, added with a tracker, so the teams could stay in contact with Ozpin and the General even when they were away, and the smaller woman quickly reached into her pouch, retrieving the device.

“RWBY to HQ, listening,” Weiss called, furrowing her brows as they waited for a reply.

It didn’t take long.

“HQ to RWBY,” the General’s voice seemed booming even through the radio. “There’s a village about thirty-five miles from your position, north-east. Go there. Someone will be waiting for you. We will dispatch another team at your location to replace you.”

Weiss’s blue eyes looked up to her teammates, as surprised as them, and Ruby shrugged after a moment.

“RWBY to HQ, on our way. Over and out.”

 

****

 

They reached the village faster than they expected. Maybe the perspective of a real shower and real beds made their strides lengthen, but still, they were there in record time, and they automatically went for the inn, knowing that the contacts usually waited there.

Ruby pushed the door open with a sigh before stopping there, a slow but steady smile pulling her lips. At the bar, turning his back to them, sat a man with short dark hair, his red caped, torn up at the edges after seeing one-too-many fights, standing out of the generally wood-colored décor, and upon hearing the door open, the man turned his head, settling his pale red eyes on them. A small smile pulled his lips.

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby exclaimed, darting to him as he stood.

He raised the glass he was holding up and far from Ruby’s head as she hugged him, and he ruffled her hair with a low chuckle.

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Hey, uncle Qrow,” Yang greeted as she stepped closer to hug him loosely.

“Hey there, firecracker. Belladonna,” he gave a quick nod at Blake, the faunus returning it with a smile, and then he tried to poke Weiss’s nose. “Princess.”

The smaller woman swatted his hand away without looking, with the ease of someone who did this for a very long time.

“Does that mean the tracker Ozpin told Ruby about is here?” Weiss asked, glancing around.

The leader perked up at that and pulled away, noticing how her uncle was stumbling and how he had to lean his back against the counter to not fall over.

“Are you drunk again?” Ruby accused, the earlier excitement vanishing and replaced with irritation.

“I’m not drunk, I’m just… a little tipsy,” he countered, bringing his glass to his lips and downing what liquid was left before clacking the thick glass on the counter. “And yes, the tracker’s here. But you can’t meet him right now.”

“What? Why not?” Yang asked.

Qrow stared at them for a second before his head lolled to the side, and he reached over to another man who was snoring face first on the counter, shaking his shoulder, but the snoring only kept going so he returned his attention to them.

“I can’t introduce him to you. It’ll way for tomorrow.”

He was about to sit back on his stool when he seemed struck with a thought, and he shoved his hand in his pocket, frowning deeply as he tried to stay upright.

“That’s for you,” he said, finally pulling whatever he was searching for out. “I took two rooms.”

“Two?” Yang grimaced, not able to hide her disappointment.

Her uncle nodded solemnly, before pointing at Yang and Blake.

“One for you,” then, he pointed in Ruby and Weiss’s direction, “And one for you. Have fun, we leave tomorrow before midday.”

He threw them the two keys to the rooms and he sat back in his stool, looking at the man beside him that was snoring away before patting his back, and waved at the bartender for another drink. Without another word, the team climbed up the stairs, soon realising that they had a bathroom in each room, and a full-size bed in each.

Today was a good day.

 

****

 

Weiss was sinking in the bathtub, the scorching hot water that she loved so much rising steam in the bathroom, and when she was in the water up to her shoulders, she leaned back with a deep sigh and closed her eyes, and that’s how Ruby left her, smiling fondly.

She only had the time to open the door before Weiss called dibs for the bath, and Ruby obliged, leaving her backpack and pouches on the bed before returning downstairs to buy a meal.

A good meal. They hadn’t ate real food much, these times. But upon arriving in the hall of the inn, she saw Yang there too, her prosthetic elbow leaned against the counter and eyeing the menu, her other hand rubbing her stomach absentmindedly.

“Blake called dibs for the bathroom, too?” Ruby guessed as she got closer, her eyes on the menu.

Her sister glanced at her and smiled, chuckling under her breath.

“Yeah… Blake could trade me for hot water in a heartbeat. I try not to take it personally.”

“You know, you’d think that someone who lived on a glacier most of her life would prefer cooler temperature of water,” Ruby mused, furrowing her brows. “You are sadly mistaken. Weiss takes her baths so hot that I can’t even set foot in it, and sometimes I believe her when she says she’ll get out only when her skin will peel off.”

Yang laughed, clapping a sympathetic hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“Blake’s pretty much the same, except I can handle hot water. She just shoo me away because she wants time alone.”

Ruby chuckled at that, her eyes still on the menu before deciding what she would take and choosing for Weiss. She waved the inn keeper, the old man smiling kindly at them, and Ruby couldn’t help but wonder what he was still doing here when Grimm had been sighted so close to the village. She remembered finding that there wasn’t many people still here, for an alert had been sent to villages and towns around Vale’s borders a few months ago, asking them to leave and go deeper in-land.

Still, she thought, her eyes looking to the side as she looked over at the bar where her uncle was still drinking, it was nice to see an active inn. She just hoped it would stay that way.

“Hey,” Yang’s voice caught her attention, and she looked up at her, seeing the worry in her eyes. “You looked pretty dark, there.”

“Yeah well, you know,” the leader grimaced, shrugging one shoulder. “Just thinking about the war.”

“When aren’t you?” her sister countered, and after a moment, the blonde reached over, brushing her fingers against her arm. “How are you holding up?”

“Still holding up.”

“Ruby-”

“I’m fine, Yang,” she insisted, lowering her eyes to the counter in front of her. “I just… I just want this war to end. I want _her_ dead.”

The older sister stared at her for a moment, blinking, and Ruby realised she had snarled the last part, the anger that had taken over her washed away as quickly as it came, and she stepped back, avoiding Yang’s eyes.

“I’m tired, and I forgot to do something upstairs,” she started, stepping back to the stairs as she pointed over her shoulder.

“Ruby, wait-”

“Can I ask you to bring the food up? Thanks,” she interrupted before turning around and climbing the stairs two by two, hearing Yang sighing deeply behind her.

She made her way to her room in record time, closing the door behind her and leaning her back to it with a sigh. She slowly sat, sliding against the door, until her knees were pressed against her chest, and she hugged them tightly, leaning her forehead on her kneecaps.

She… really was starting to have a few screws loose.

“Ruby?” Weiss’s voice came from the bathroom. “Is that you?”

She sounded like she was in a good mood, enjoying her bath. She leaned her head back, thumping it against the door quietly.

“Yeah, it’s me,” she sighed.

There was a short silence, then slushes of water was heard.

“Are you alright?”

“Can people stop asking me that,” she muttered under her breath, closing her eyes.

“Are you mumbling?” Weiss asked, slightly accusing.

Ruby huffed, smiling. Sometimes, she could swear Weiss had the same hearing Blake did. And instead of answering, she dragged herself to the bathroom, walking on all four, and Weiss raised her eyebrows high at that.

“What are you doing?” she asked, surprised.

“I didn’t feel like standing,” she answered as she sat beside the tub, leaning her cheek against the edge of it.

Her blue eyes stared at her, scanning her, but to Ruby’s relief she didn’t press the matter, only settling her head close to hers, nuzzling her hair.

“Do you want to join me?” Weiss asked quietly, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

It snatched a smile from her as she chuckled, moving to kiss the tip of the smaller woman’s nose.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to be clean first?” she playfully asked.

Weiss raised one hand from the water, waving it with a smile.

“I am clean.”

“But I’m not,” Ruby countered.

The smaller woman pouted a little, and Ruby could count on one hand when she actually did, but before they could say something else, a knock on the door was heard.

“Hey,” Yang’s voice was heard through the door. “I uh, I got your food.”

The leader threw her head back with a sigh before standing up, Weiss quickly dropping a kiss on her hand before she was too far, and she made her way to the door, hesitating for a second before opening it.

Yang was there, waiting with a platter in her hands, offering a small smile to her sister when their eyes met.

“Um… Thanks. Again.” Ruby huffed as she took the platter from her hands.

The blonde said nothing, only looking at her for a moment.

“Can I come in?” she finally asked, her voice gentle, and Ruby knew that she wouldn’t be upset if she said no.

But if she does say no… _Now_ , Yang would be worried.

“Sure,” the leader motioned with her head for her to enter.

She went to set the platter on the bedside table before quickly moving to close the bathroom door as her sister entered, seeing Weiss blow a kiss to her as she did. The simple gesture made her smile and calmed her down, and she was surprised to realise how she had tensed up when Yang knocked on the door.

The blonde was standing in the middle of the room, rubbing the back of her neck with a sigh.

“Okay, look-”

They stared at each other, the same words leaving their lips at the same time making them stop in surprise, and it made them chuckle, the mood shifting to a lighter tone.

“You first,” Ruby offered, a smile still on her lips.

“I, um…” the  blonde sighed, her left hand reaching up to rub her neck again before catching herself. “I just wanted to tell you that it’s okay if you’re not okay. This war is taking a lot from us, and-”

“I’m fine, Yang” the leader insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m just tired, and I want this war to end, like everyone else.”

“But you’re not like everyone else, Ruby.”

She gritted her teeth as she looked away. Of all the people who said this to her, she couldn’t believe her own _sister_ would say this. She never asked to stand out. She just wanted to be like anyone else.

“I don’t care about your eyes and the power they hold, okay, I’m not talking about that,” Yang continued, as if she knew exactly what was going on in her sister’s mind. “I’m talking about you, as a person. You’re not like everyone else, sis.”

The blonde sighed as she stepped closer, trying to find the right words to best express what she wanted to say as Ruby only raised her eyes to her, keeping her arms crossed.

“Everyone wants to be a war hero, but you don’t want to. Everyone would like to have powers that would set them apart, but you don’t.”

She paused, opening and closing her mouth, hesitating.

“I- You- You’re not built for this. You’re not built for war, I know that, and I think you know it too. You’re too kind. You always see the best in people, and I know that it hurts you, with each passing day, that people keep dying. I know it weighs on you.”

Ruby gritted her teeth and swallowed thickly, lowering her eyes to the floor but she didn’t say anything, and so Yang stepped closer again, brushing the back of her fingers against her arm.

“This war is taking a lot from us. A _lot_. But keeping a good head on our shoulders is our top priority, you know that, right?” she waited for Ruby to say something or to move, but when she stayed still, she sighed quietly. “My point is, you can talk to me, if you want. Or Weiss, or Blake. Talk to someone, sis. You can’t keep it all inside.”

The leader nibbled on her lip and Yang moved to hug her, before stopping when her arms were only a few inches away from her.

“Can I hug you?” the oldest sister asked, her voice soft and gentle.

Ruby finally looked up, only to realise that Yang wasn’t judging, she was just being supportive in the best way she could; being there for her. And for once since the start of this war, she was in control of something, even if it was as trivial and insignificant as a hug.

“Yeah,” she nodded, feeling her voice waver. “I-I’d like that.”

The blonde didn’t need to be told twice. Instantly, Yang pulled her into her arms, wrapping her in a protective hug, holding her sister tightly as she leaned her cheek on top of her head.

“You know you have us, okay?” the oldest murmured in her hair. “You always will.”

“But what if something happen?” Ruby said, her voice muffled in her sister’s shoulder. “I feel like I’m going crazy with people I don’t even know, I won’t survive if something happened to one of you, Yang-”

“Ruby,” the blonde interrupted softly as she started petting her hair. “We’re going to be fine.”

“How do you know that? How can you be sure?”

“Because you’re here with us.”

The leader scoffed bitterly, hiding her face deeper in her sister’s neck.

“You can’t say that to me. I was there two times, and they died anyway.”

“I-” Yang started before stopping, letting out a low groan. “I meant that we got each other’s back. Okay? We’re in this together. You’re not alone. Don’t forget that.”

The blonde pulled away just enough to cup Ruby’s cheeks, the metal of her prosthetic cold against the leader’s skin, and she gently angled her face up, so Ruby would look at her. For a long moment, Yang just looked at her, her lilac eyes traveling across her face, before she leaned over to press her lips against her forehead, holding her as delicately as if she was made of glass, and the leader closed her eyes, letting her sister hold her for as long as she wanted.

“I love you,” Yang murmured against her skin before nuzzling her temple, keeping her close.

“I love you too,” Ruby replied in the same way, her hands reaching up to touch Yang’s arms, clutching at her sleeves.

They stayed like this for a long moment, and the leader could feel the tensing in her shoulders slowly dissipate as she enjoyed the way her sister was always making her feel. Loved and secured. Safe.

“Okay,” Yang finally breathed, reluctantly pulling back. “Are you gonna be okay?”

She thumbed her cheek as Ruby nodded slightly, managing a smile.

“Okay,” the blonde said again, nodding too.

The oldest sister sighed deeply, caressing Ruby’s face one last time before pulling away.

“You rest up, tonight. And tomorrow, we’re going to stop this war. Together. Alright?”

The leader nodded again, huffing quietly.

“Yeah, I know.”

She smiled at her sister, and Yang squeezed her hand before letting go, and after one last glance, the blonde exited the room, closing the door silently behind her. Ruby found herself alone again, but this time, it was alright. She didn’t want to run, now.

The bathroom door opened slowly, catching her attention, and she saw that Weiss was there, wrapped in a towel, her shoulder and head leaned against the frame, the smaller woman wearing a soft smile on her lips. Without a word, she opened her arms, and Ruby wordlessly went to her, accepting the hug as she closed her eyes.

Weiss provided another kind of loved and secured. A different way of feeling safe. But it was as welcomed as Yang’s.

“Are you hungry?” Ruby finally asked, pulling away slightly. “I took something for you.” Then, she added with a grimace, “It’s probably a little cold by now.”

“It’s fine,” the smaller woman assured, brushing a dark lock back against her ear. “But didn’t you want to clean up?”

Ruby shrugged.

“I’ll go take a quick shower.”

“Do you want me to wash your hair?”

“I said I’m going in the shower, not a bath,” Ruby huffed with a smile, pecking Weiss on the lips before stepping in the bathroom.

“I don’t think I stuttered,” the smaller woman remarked quietly as she turned around, furrowing her brows slightly as she watched the leader.

Ruby stopped as she was unclasping her cloak from her shoulders and turned towards Weiss, her eyebrows raised high.

“You just went out of your bath,” the leader countered.

“I’m aware,” the smaller woman nodded.

“You’ll get wet again.”

“Also aware.”

Ruby chuckled quietly, resting her hands on her hips as she considered her girlfriend, noticing the look in her gorgeous blue eyes.

“You just want to see me naked,” the leader realised, her lips pulling in a smile.

“Well, you really are pretty naked,” Weiss smiled too, as she took a step in the bathroom.

“But what about dinner? It’s going to be cold,” Ruby tried, knowing that it will be disregarded.

“We’ve been eating military rations for months,” the smaller woman reminded, taking another step inside. “I can handle whatever you brought me being cold.”

She stepped closer again and the towel dropped, pooling around her feet as she stopped in front of Ruby, and the leader’s eyes went down, inexorably drawn.

“… Good point,” she finally let out, trying hard to look up and failing miserably.

The smaller woman closed the distance with a kiss, finishing taking the leader’s cloak off before pulling on the lace of her corset, her hands hungry for skin and impatient as they pulled on every bit of clothes, trying to take them off faster, until Ruby finally decided to help her.

“I thought you didn’t like shower sex,” the leader managed to say between kisses as they pulled off her shirt, Weiss’s hands already working on the buckle of her belt.

“I don’t like it when I’m on the receiving end, when I’m too… wobbly to not stop slipping everywhere.”

“Oh.”

“Now you understand,” the smaller woman smirked, her voice husky, a deep hunger in her eyes that made Ruby shiver when she saw it. “And if I recall, _you_ like shower sex.”

Today was _totally_ a great day, after all.


	3. Chapter 3

She woke up suddenly, her eyes wide, her breath short, the last of her dream fading away from her memory as she slowly came back to reality. Even if she knew it wasn’t a nightmare, she still did as if it was one, to calm her down.

Naming five things she could see.

She could see the nightstand. She could see the window, see the trees outside, see that the sun wasn’t up yet. She could see her backpack, leaned against the wall. She could see Crescent Rose, right next to it. And… She could see Weiss’s hand resting close to hers, half closed.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She could feel Weiss pressed up against her back. She could feel her breath against her nape. The hand, that snaked with hers under the pillow. And Weiss’s slender leg, settled between her own.

As carefully as she could, she turned around, making the smaller woman frown in her sleep with a soft whine, but when she felt that Ruby was still there, she only sighed, snuggling closer, and it made her smile.

No matter where she was in bed, right beside Weiss or on the far side of the bed, her partner would always roll over to her, and wrap herself around her.

She settled more comfortably, admiring the sight before her. It amazed her how Weiss, no matter what, always looked peaceful when she slept. She reached over, brushing back a few strands of ivory locks that fell from her face, and she could see her scar in all its glory.

Her hand hovered down to her shoulder, Weiss’s milky skin always so smooth under her fingers. Delicately, she pushed the blanket back, seeing the goosebumps rise on pale skin when their air met her warm body, and she ghosted her fingers over them, feeling the smaller woman shift against her, bringing the arm that she had wrapped around her between them with a shiver, but Weiss was still sleeping.

Ruby pressed her palm in the middle of her back, between her shoulder blades, feeling all the tight muscles there, before sliding it down, feeling the lines and the curves of her back, stopping at the small of her back.

Then, her hand went up again, sliding between them, and she cupped one of her breasts, feeling its weight in her hand. She remembered all the times that Weiss had looked at herself in the mirror, wishing to be a little curvier. Not as much as Yang, mind you, but something a little more… sensual. Like Blake. Not to just be ‘as flat as a plank’, to say it in her own words.

But she never thought that. Yes, Weiss was petite, with a lithe frame and she had narrow hips and small breasts, but still. To her eyes, Weiss was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. And, she remembered with a smile, with small boobs, she felt like she was closer to her heart, when she held them. Weiss had nearly slapped her when she told her that.

When Weiss shivered again, this time delicate eyebrows drawn together, she pulled the covers over the both of them, watching fondly as the tension bled from her face, sighing contentedly.

She smiled, not believing that Weiss Schnee was actually her girlfriend. That Weiss had kissed her, had made love to her, and that she still wanted to love her, to keep loving her seemed beyond her comprehension. There were so many other people out there; prettier, smarter than her, but no. Weiss had chosen _her_.

She leaned over, pressing her lips on Weiss’s forehead in a soft kiss before wrapping an arm around her, snuggling her face in the smaller woman’s neck, her hand settling on the cheek of her ass. Not to be suggestive in any way, just because her hand felt good there, fitted in her hand neatly, and with a sigh, she closed her eyes, trying to get back to sleep.

And, she thought with a smile, she really did like Weiss’s ass.

 

****

 

She woke up slowly, smelling chocolate and roses, and she smiled, keeping her eyes closed, stretching languorously with a quiet grunt. She could feel hair on her face, tickling her nose and lips, and she opened her eyes, seeing the sun filtering through the window and pooling on the bed.

She moved a bit, realising that Ruby had trapped her in her arms, and after a kiss on the leader’s temple, Weiss rolled over and out of reach, the arms around her falling limply against the mattress. Ruby grunted softly, bringing her knee up and leaning on it as she buried her face in the pillow, her arms reaching up and under her head. With a loud and pitiful sigh, Ruby was still caught in the sands of sleep.

Weiss stood and stretched again, trying to get rid of the few kinks still present in her body as she walked to the bathroom. For the first time in a while, she felt well-rested, and she already felt energized, the thought of a good breakfast, with _coffee_ no less, made her wash up and dress in record time, and with a last glance at her girlfriend still sleeping in bed, she slipped out of the room.

And apparently, she wasn’t the only one with this idea, because she saw Blake stalking down the hallway, yawning not so discreetly, and the faunus stopped a few paces from her, blinking sleep from her eyes.

“Hi,” Blake said simply.

“Good morning, Blake,” Weiss greeted before going to the stairs, knowing that the faunus was following her.

“You look like you’re in a good mood,” Blake reported behind her, a smile in her voice.

“I am. After a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast in bed, I think Ruby will be in a good mood too.”

The faunus hummed, amused, and when she was about to ask what was so funny, Blake spoke before she could.

“Sleep, huh? You know the walls are kind of thin, right?”

Weiss looked over her shoulder as they arrived at the foot of the stairs, suspicious.

“So?”

“So, you probably already know, as a singer. But your voice carries,” Blake winked as she passed in front of her.

She felt a dark blush color her cheeks as she tried to hide it with a bit of coughing, and the only thing she wanted to do right now was to rip that smug grin from the faunus’s face.

But instead of throttling her friend, she gracefully slipped on a stool next to Blake, checking the morning menu as she leaned her elbows on the counter.

Some of the things had been checked out, and Weiss had to fight off indignation when she realised that coffee was amongst those things, but since the start of the war, some things had become rare. As she could see in the price the inn keeper asked for the meals. It was robbery in bright daylight.

But still. They were at war.

Weiss decided that eggs, bacon and toasts would do the trick of raising her girlfriend back into the living world, and they could start the day on the right foot.

“What do you want me to say, it had been a while,” Weiss grumbled under her breath, the remnant of her blush giving a pink tint on her cheeks.

“Hey, if anything, I’m glad you two enjoy it so much,” the faunus replied, patting her shoulder, seemingly completely at ease with the subject. “I don’t think there’s something as disappointing as awful sex when you’ve been waiting for it.”

“Could you keep your voice down, Belladonna, and I haven’t been _waiting_ for it,” she hissed, glancing around to make sure nobody heard.

Which was the case. Beside the inn keeper that went in the kitchen, behind the counter, the other patron was sitting on the other side of the room, right beside the window, and except if he had super hearing, he couldn’t have heard.

To make it absolutely _clear_ she wasn’t finding this funny, she grabbed the folded up daily news that sat on the counter, and she opened it wide and noisily, hiding behind the reassuring black and white of the paper.

She heard the faunus chuckle on the other side of her paper shield, and Weiss just knew she was about to tease her again, and Blake even had the _nerve_ of trying to snatch the paper from her hands.

“Weiss,” Blake started.

“No,” she replied, shrugging the paper away from the faunus’s hands. “Whatever you say, I’m not listening.”

“ _Weiss_ ,” Blake insisted, her voice serious and tight, and abandoning the fight, she looked over with a sigh.

The faunus was staring at the front page, glancing at her worriedly, and Weiss soon understood why as she felt her heart sink in her chest.

There had been a Grimm attack in Atlas.

“I thought they couldn’t reach it!” Blake quietly let out, reaching to take the paper from her hands to read the article.

“I thought so too,” Weiss breathed. “We all did.”

The faunus quickly read the rest of the page, resuming it as she went.

“They appeared out of nowhere… Attacked everything, and were finally stopped in Solitas, the military keeping them just on the edge of the city’s limits. But it says that everything outside of it has been…”

“The mansion,” Weiss asked, looking up at Blake. “It’s outside of the city.”

The faunus shrugged helplessly, looking over the page.

“There’s no mention of that.”

“When did it happen?” the smaller woman asked, pulling out her scroll from her pocket.

“Two days ago.”

Weiss gritted her teeth, waiting impatiently as her scroll booted up. Since they were, most of the time, outside of the reach of the CCT, they just turned off their scrolls, since they could be reached over the military radio they had. But it also meant that they often forgot to turn it on again when they were back.

There wasn’t any missed calls, or messages on her scroll, but she didn’t stop there. She went through her contact list, and quickly tapped on Klein.

They both waited anxiously as it rang, until they fell on the voicemail. Weiss huffed in irritation as she tapped on the screen to end the call, going through her contacts again, and hesitating as her thumb hovered over her sister’s name. Winter was probably in to her neck, and surely didn’t have the time to answer her scroll. And so, her eyes traveled to the name just above Winter’s.

Whitley answered only after it rang two times.

“Weiss!” he sounded relieved even if his voice was tight and low.

“Whitley,” she managed a small smile, happy that he was alright. “I just heard about Atlas. What happened? Did the Grimm attack the mansion? Is everyone alright?”

Her brother seemed overwhelmed by the sudden shower of questions, and he stammered a little when he answered.

“Yes, the mansion was attacked. How can it be? Father always told me that Atlas was the safest place from the Grimm!”

“We still don’t know how,” Weiss sighed, glancing quickly at Blake.

“It was horrible, Weiss,” Whitley said, his voice quiet and slightly trembling. “We could hear them coming. I still don’t know how I made it to the roof, and Father was guiding Mother to the airship, and then she realised that we had to leave. She started fighting, and we didn’t- We had to leave, they were coming, and-”

“Wait a second, Whitley” Weiss blinked, and Blake shifted anxiously beside her. “Wait. Are you saying… that you left Mother _behind_?”

“We tried to make her understand, but even Klein wasn’t able to make her see reason! And they were about to kick the doors open, we had to leave-”

“ _Whitley_ ,” Weiss interrupted again.

“She said she couldn’t leave the only place she remembered,” he sniffled. “She said she was going to die if she left, so what was the point?”

“You left her-”

“No, Weiss. She jumped off the roof.”

She heard Blake mutter a curse beside her while looking away, and Weiss froze. For the information to sink in, she stopped thinking for a moment, barely hearing what her brother was saying.

“For the longest time I wondered why you wanted so much to be a Huntress. I could hear the Grimm coming from everywhere, I could hear the screams, I heard some staffers cry when we passed by, because they knew we couldn’t take them with us. I was so afraid, Weiss. But I understand now.”

“Is- Was Klein with you? Why can’t he answer his scroll?” Weiss finally said, her voice tight, cracking slightly.

She felt Blake’s hand on her back, rubbing gently, but she tried to ignore it. For the moment, at least.

“He can’t answer because he’s with Father, who’s in a meeting with Ironwood. Klein… It hurt him a lot, for Mother.”

Weiss leaned her elbow on the counter as she rubbed at her eyes, clearing her throat.

“I know,” she breathed.

“I’m glad you’re alright, despite the situation,” Whitley said, and she could hear the smile, honest, in his voice. “I don’t think I can handle losing my mother and my sister in the same week.”

“I’m tougher than I look,” was the only thing the older sister could say. “Look, I’ll call you back.”

There was a short silence and she heard him sigh, quietly, his breath trembling.

“Alright. Take care, sister.”

“You too,” she quickly said back before hanging up, dropping the device on the counter.

She continued rubbing her eyes with a deep, long sigh, before running it in her hair, and she could feel Blake’s hand on her back, feel her eyes on her, but she didn’t say anything. Weiss glanced at her after a while.

“So much for my good mood,” she tried to joke.

The faunus’s lips pulled slightly in a smile before returning to its worried frown.

“Are you okay?” Blake asked quietly, keeping her hand on Weiss’s back.

“I don’t know,” Weiss answered honestly, shrugging a little. “Mother and I weren’t as close as you are with your mother, but still… I’m…”

She motioned at herself, not finding the right word to best express how she felt, and the inn keeper came out from the kitchen with their food at that moment, sliding the platters in front of them. Weiss stared at the eggs, wondering how she was going to eat when her stomach felt like a mess of knots, and she sighed again, sliding off her stool.

“I’ll wake Ruby up,” she only said, walking away with one of the platters.

Blake watched her go, and before she followed her, she took the forgotten newspaper with her.

 

****

 

Blake sighed as she closed the door behind her, taking a moment to look at her wife as she slept, facing her, her arms sprawled in front of her on Blake’s side. She must have searched for her in her sleep.

The faunus enjoyed the peaceful expression on the blonde’s face, oblivious to the world in her slumber, and she wasn’t wearing the worried frown she had plastered on her face all day. Blake knew that she was worried. Worried for Ruby, for them, for her friends. But still, in her sleep, it went away. And she was glad it did. Recurrent dreams about the day’s events had a way to mess with your head.

She set the platter down on the nightstand, keeping the newspaper in hand as she went around the bed and climbed on, before cuddling close to Yang, pressed against the blonde’s back, and it was enough to make her stir from her slumber.

“Something’s wrong,” Yang mumbled as she kept her eyes closed, the worried frown back on her face. “You’re only the big spoon when something’s wrong.”

Blake sighed, nuzzling the blonde’s neck before pressing a kiss there.

“I’m sorry to wake you up like that.”

“It’s okay, what is it?” Yang finally opened her eyes, blinking a few times to focus her vision as she looked over her shoulder.

Wordlessly, Blake gave her the paper, and after a glance the blonde unfolded it before stopping right as she read the title of the article on top.

“Oh, crap,” Yang mumbled under her breath as she quickly sat up, leaning her back against the headboard. “Just… crap. Did she see it?”

Nodding, Blake sat beside her, her ears hung low as she watched the blonde read the rest of the article.

“She called Whitley to know more details, because it doesn’t say the mansion was attacked, too,” the faunus motioned to the paper, and lilac eyes looked up at her. “As I understand, most of the staff was left behind, but her mother... Her mother didn’t make it. Whitley said she jumped off the roof.”

Yang closed her eyes as she lowered her head, releasing a bone-deep sigh as she let the paper fall on her lap.

“Just when I hoped this war wouldn’t get too personal,” she mumbled, opening her eyes. “How did she take it?”

“She’s shaken up, but she’s with Ruby right now.”

The blonde nodded before moving to stand, dressing up quickly.

“Okay,” she whispered, nodding again. “Okay.”

Blake stood too, and she could see the deep crinkle between blonde eyebrows as Yang finished putting on her belt, now moving for her jacket.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked quietly, not liking the stubborn set in her jaw.

“I’m thinking that Atlas is pinned down by Grimm,” the blonde let out, shrugging her jacket on. “I’m thinking that the military Atlas is so proud of can’t get rid of the Grimm. Why attack Atlas, knowing that they have such a strong military, only now, months after the start of the war?”

“Salem had to get there, eventually,” Blake shrugged, wondering where her wife was going with this. “Apparently she wants to take over the world.”

“Yes, the world. So why, knowing that, did we looked over Atlas? As far as I know, Remnant isn’t ‘the world _and_ Atlas’.”

“Everyone thought it was safe from the Grimm,” Blake answered, slowly understanding Yang’s point.

“Exactly. So, why attack now? I’m thinking that she may have been gathering all the Grimm necessary for the attack, and did it now to scare us. Rubbing our nose in our confidence, like ‘See that place you thought I couldn’t reach? Think again.’ Attacking now is perfect,” she continued under her breath, fumbling a little with the straps of her coat. “We’re tired, and we feel like we’re powerless in front of her Grimm. Taking Atlas now can only increase the feeling. Psychological war and the likes.”

She finished with her belt before setting her hands on her hips with a sigh, looking up at the faunus with a dark look.

“That’s fucked up,” she resumed, “And it sucks. I’m calling my dad.”

“Tai?” Blake asked, raising her eyebrows high as Yang moved past her to take her scroll on the nightstand. “What for?”

“What if Menagerie’s next? I don’t want them to sit on their hands until the Grimm comes. Call your dad,” Yang told her as she gave Blake her own scroll. “Tell him for Atlas. Even if nothing happens, better safe than sorry.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you’re calling Tai,” the faunus frowned, looking at her as the blonde thumbed the screen of her scroll.

It was only now that she noticed how it was trembling. She always used her left hand for her scroll. And she looked up at the same time Yang did, and she could see the feeble smile the blonde offered as she stopped for a second.

“I want Dad in Menagerie,” she answered quietly. “If something happens… He’ll know what to do. He’ll keep them safe.”

 

****

 

When they finally came out of their rooms and gathered in the inn’s hall, they were in front of two very hungover men, Qrow muttering things under his breath as the other man, the same that was snoring on the counter the night before, kept rubbing his eyes, hidden away behind the brim of his hat.

After a very awkward ‘I’m sorry for your loss, kid’ from Qrow, Weiss fell silent and preferred to stay in the back, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, Ruby hovering close to her until a glare told the leader she was overdoing. And so, they all gathered on the porch, the sun mercilessly heating everything it touched.

“Okay, let me introduce you,” Qrow said, his voice rough from too much alcohol and lack of sleep. “This man is the tracker Ozpin has told you about.”

He clapped a hand on the man’s shoulder, rising a cloud of dust from his charcoal colored duster, and he looked up, suddenly remembering why he was here, and as his piercing blue eyes fell on the team, he quickly pulled off his hat, bringing it to his chest.

“Ladies,” he greeted with a slight bow of his head.

There was a short pause, and Qrow only reached under his jacket for his flask, grimacing when he realised it was empty.

“What’s your name?” Ruby asked, eyeing her uncle in exasperation.

“A man has many names in his life,” the man said as he straightened his back, setting his hat back on his head. “People call me Lucky.”

“Lucky?” Yang snorted. “Is it because your emblem is a four leaf clover?”

The man’s dark eyebrows went up as he looked down at the small sigil embroider on the chest of his calf-length duster and on his shirt, and as he reached on his sides to lean his hands on two handgun that rested at his hips, they could see the same symbol carved on the ivory stocks.

“Who knows?” he answered with a shrug.

“Right,” Blake said flatly. “So, what now?”

“Yes, Qrow,” Lucky turned to the man who was rising his pale red eyes to the sky. “What now?”

“Well, you’re going to team up with him, and follow him while he tracks Salem.”

The tracker narrowed his eyes at him, before quickly glancing at the team and turning to the side, giving his back to them as he leaned over one very unimpressed Qrow.

“You know I prefer to work alone,” Lucky said lowly.

“Ozpin’s order. You better get on with it,” Qrow only retorted, moving to walk away until the tracker grabbed his arm.

“You drag me here after finding me from my isolation, and now you force a team on me?”

“I told you,” Qrow’s tone was hard as he shrugged the tracker’s hand off him. “Oz’s order.”

And he walked away, cursing under his breath that his flask was empty, and the team watched him go for a moment, before returning their attention to the man in front of them, his blue eyes drilled on Qrow as he pinched his lips so much that they disappeared under his shaggy mustache.

“Is there a problem?” Yang asked, her voice tight, and Blake brushed her hand on her arm, reminding her to keep calm.

His eyes turned to her, and this time it was his hand that he brought to his chest.

“Apologies, ladies. This… quarrel has nothing to do with you. It’s quite the contrary, in fact.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked, this time, tilting her head slightly to the side.

“Despite my nickname and emblem, I am far from being a lucky charm,” he answered with a small smile. “I guess it’s why we get along so well,” he added, pointing towards where Qrow went.

“From the look of it, you two don’t seem to get along when you’re not drinking.”

Weiss’s voice made them turn to her and she only shrugged slightly, their attention returning to Lucky as he chuckled quietly.

“One can get along with other people in different ways,” he said, before taking a sharp breath in. “Well. Since we are paired up, apparently, and I’m not good with names, let me nickname you.”

“Isn’t that the same, in the end?” Ruby raised a single eyebrow at that, doubtful.

“No, because it is something that will come to mind when I look at you. For example,” he said, pointing at Ruby. “Red. That’s you.”

“Of course,” Yang huffed, shaking her head.

“Hot shot,” he continued, this time pointing at Yang.

“I beg your pardon?” the blonde retorted, not amused.

The tracker ignored her and stopped at Blake, and they could see him look up at her ears before taking her in, then he brought his finger back to his face, pressing it against his mouth as he hummed, thoughtful.

“Isn’t there something that comes to mind when you look at her?” Ruby wondered, glancing at Blake.

“Well of course, but it’s…” he raised his hand above his head, motioning, and they understood it as Blake’s ears. “I don’t want it to be offensive for you, even if it wouldn’t be from me.”

“I can just tell you my name, you know,” the faunus shrugged.

Lucky snapped his fingers, apparently in a naming epiphany, and he pointed at Blake.

“Coat. That’s you.”

The faunus raised her eyebrows, but a smile pulled her lips, amused, and the man nodded to himself, turning his finger to the last person of the team.

“And you…” he trailed off, taking in the poisonous glare Weiss was giving him, and he closed his hand. “Maybe another time. Alright, let’s go.”

He started off, walking towards the main path of the village, and after glancing at each other they went to catch up to him.

“So…” Ruby trailed off as she walked beside him, silently clapping her hands in front of her. “How do we track a witch?”

“Good question, Red. But it’s quite simple; we just have to follow where the Grimm comes from.”

Yang stopped dead in her tracks.

“So you’re saying we’re going to fight through Grimm to go where there’s even _more_ Grimm?”

“From afar,” the man reassured. “But fret not, ladies; you’re with the fastest gunslinger of Remnant. Or so goes the saying,” he shrugged.

“Oh! Can you do tricks? With your guns, I mean?” Ruby excitedly asked.

“‘Course I can!” Lucky smiled.

As Yang shook her head in front of an overenthusiastic Ruby as the tracker pulled one of his guns from its holster, Blake slowed her pace to walk beside Weiss, the smaller woman smiling slightly at her girlfriend’s antics.

“You okay?” the faunus asked quietly.

“The fact that he didn’t give us his name is bugging me a little, but he seems to understand body language, since he knew I wouldn’t stand for one of his nicknames. And the one he gave Yang made me laugh.”

“I was talking about you,” Blake softly reminded with a smile.

The smaller woman took a moment before answering, shrugging slightly.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Holy shit, guys!” Yang’s voice caught their attention. “You have to see this! I believe him when he says he’s the fastest gunslinger. Look at all the tricks this guy can pull off!”

“I wish I could do this with Crescent Rose,” Ruby pouted a bit, kicking a rock on the ground.

“Ruby, you can make it _dance_ in your hands,” Weiss retorted, raising a single eyebrow at her. “You don’t need little guns to show off.”

The leader beamed at Weiss’s comments while Lucky brought a hand to his chest in mock offense.

“Geez, woman, there’s no need to kick a wounded man,” he said, motioning for the gun in his hand. “I know these are small, but it’s all I have.”

“Wait ‘till you have _these_ guns!” Yang joined in, bringing her arms up to flex.

Blake rolled her eyes in synch with Weiss and Ruby pulled both her thumbs up with a solemn nod. Lucky only hummed, furrowing his brows.

“I don’t think I understand. What guns?”

It made Yang and Ruby laugh.

 

****

 

“Ugh, she was supposed to be around here,” Lucky grumbled under his breath as he glanced around, his dark eyebrows drawn close.

“‘She’? Who’s she?” Yang asked, glancing around too.

“My partner, my gal!” he answered with another sigh, setting his hands on his hips as he inspected a nearby tree.

They were out of the village’s limits, near the tree line, and they had followed him when he said he had to come here.

“Didn’t you say you preferred to be alone?” Blake said, crossing her arms.

The sun was baking them, and she couldn’t wait to move, to get into action. This seemed trivial compared to the greater picture.

“I do, but it’s not the same with her,” he crouched, checking the ground for a moment.

Then he stood up again, and looked over a broken branch, twisting it between his fingers.

“She must be around somewhere,” he kept mumbling as he looked up.

Then, he brought his hand to his mouth, and before they could say something he let out a loud, high-pitched whistle that made them jump and Blake grunt, her ears pinned to her scalp.

“Sorry,” he grimaced to her, but Blake only shrugged.

And soon, her ears perked up again as she heard, away, rustling, and twigs snap. By the sound of it, it was bigger than a human.

“Something’s coming,” she reported, her hand closing on the hilt of her weapon.

“It’s fine, there’s nothing-” Lucky tried to say.

“Hooves,” Blake added, pulling on her weapon.

This made Ruby perk up, her bored expression replaced by the serious look she always had when there were Grimm nearby.

“A Nuckelavee?” the leader instantly asked, drawing her weapon, and she heard Weiss and Yang do the same.

“Ladies, hold on,” the tracker said with a nervous laugh, his hands extended in front of him.

“It’s close!”

The four of them were ready to jump on the Grimm until the rustling got closer, and Lucky whistled again, this time more softly, and the beast finally made it out of the tree line.

“It’s…” Ruby started, lowering her weapon, her jaw slack.

“A horse!” Weiss exclaimed, returning her weapon to her hip, her eyes on the animal.

“… Is this the ‘she’?” Yang asked, returning her weapon in their bracelets form with a flick of the wrist.

The large head of the animal went for Lucky, and he petted it fondly.

“Yes. I couldn’t do anything without her,” he smiled, caressing the cheek of the mare. “Her name is Pearl. She’s my partner.”

“I didn’t know there were horses in Mistral,” Blake furrowed her brows as she returned her weapon on her back. “Nor in Vale.”

The tracker chuckled as he easily climbed on the hose, the leather of the saddle creaking under his weight and the horse snorting quietly, and he looked over them with a smile.

“That’s because she doesn’t come from either of these places,” he said, clapping the side of the animal’s neck. “She comes from Vacuo, a pearl in the desert. I chose her for this reason. There aren't many white horses, there, and nobody wanted her. But she’s strong and fearless, and that’s exactly what I needed. So,” Lucky gathered the reins in on hand before winking at them. “Let’s get going.”

He smiled, clicking his tongue, and the horse started, rising dust in its wake, and they all watched him go until Ruby stomped her foot.

“That’s it,” she pouted. “As the leader of this team, I need a horse to be as cool as him.”

“And he doesn’t even have to carry his own bags,” Yang grimaced as she started after the tracker.

“It does travel faster than on foot, and you can carry more things,” Blake nodded, following her.

“And, I could give free rides to someone…” Ruby added, sliding beside Weiss with a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows.

“Honestly, Ruby, I would be more interested in the horse than you,” Weiss rolled her eyes as she followed the rest of the team.

The leader pouted again beside her, and Blake glanced above her shoulder quickly, a discreet smile on her lips.

“That’s not the impression I got from last night, though.”

“Will you shut up?” Weiss retorted, red climbing up her cheeks.

“Oh, _ew_ , Blake,” Yang grimaced, holding one hand in front of her mouth to hide her mimics of gaging. “Please don’t make comments like that. It’s embarrassing enough that we heard her all night.”

Before they could say anything more, the chime of Weiss’s glyph was heard, and they saw her zip away, gliding on a stark white glyph with her face as red as Ruby’s cloak and making Blake and Yang laugh, while Ruby just reached at her rapidly going form.

“Don’t leave me alone with them!” she pleaded.

“Is she always this… vocal?” Yang asked playfully, trying to embarrass her sister further.

“She-I,” crimson was steadily coloring the leader’s face as she looked everywhere except at her sister. “She’s not. I am.”

The blonde’s eyes went wide as Blake roared a laugh, stopping on the side of the road, and it only increased Ruby’s embarrassment, and Yang started running away, yelling something about burning her ears and strangling Weiss.

“All this time,” Blake managed between pained breaths, trying to get a hold of her laughter. “All this time she took the blame for you! Thant’s one dutiful girlfriend you have, Rubes!”

The faunus sighed the last of her laughter while the leader was walking silently beside her, pulling on a few strands of her hair, her face the same color as the tips of her hair.

“I always thought it was Weiss,” Blake said, catching a few tears that threatened to fall. “I thought because she was a signer, maybe she was more prone to… ‘express’ herself.”

“She’s actually really quiet, I think it’s because of the way she was raised- Why am I talking about this with you?” the leader quickly changed subject, balling her hands into fists.

“Well, I’m not your sister, so it’s not that embarrassing, right?”

Ruby grumbled under her breath, and they could see in the distance that Yang had reached Weiss. Blake wondered for a moment if they were talking, or just walking in awkward silence.

Much like right here, she thought, her eyes turning to the leader. At least, to Ruby, it was.

“How is she?” Blake asked, knowing that the leader will be thankful for the change of subject.

But apparently, she was mistaken. Ruby stopped dead in her tracks, staring at her with eyes as wide as plates.

“I’m not telling you how she is in bed!”

The faunus raised her eyebrows high on her forehead before chuckling again, motioning for Ruby to continue walking.

“I’m sorry, that’s not what I was asking. I mean… She told you about Atlas, right? About her mother?”

Instantly, the leader seemed to deflate and her eyes went to the ground, the previous embarrassment washing away and traded with a worried expression.

“Yeah… She’s playing though, but I know she’s really hurt by that. She may have bad memories from that place, but it’s still her home, you know? And for her mom…”

Ruby frowned slightly, shrugging a little.

“I don’t know how she does that,” she said, and Blake didn’t have to ask for her to explain what she was talking about. “She’s… like, shutting things out, to keep her focus. Some bad things happen, and she just put a wall there, to keep it from view. It’s there alright, but she doesn’t see it. But she’s aware she does that. She says it’s the only thing that kept her sane up until now.”

She sighed deeply, kicking a rock to the side of the road.

“I’m pretty sure that’s what she’s doing right now. And every time I want to talk about those things behind her walls, she just…”

The leader clapped the side of her hand on the palm of the other, motioning a wall being put there.

“She shuts me out. And it’s frustrating sometimes, because it takes time to get there. There’s so many walls, it looks like a labyrinth, up there.”

She sighed again, her shoulders dropping a little, but there was fondness in her eyes, along with worry.

“I’m glad you made her think of something else. She’s really sad for her mother, she just doesn’t want to be a burden and take time for herself. She said that now was not the time or the place for grief. But she’ll be alright. She’s a tough cookie.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Blake smiled, reaching over and taking the leader’s hand. “And you? Yang told me it wasn’t going great yesterday. You know we’re here for you, Rubes.”

She squeezed her hand, and Ruby grimaced.

“I’m a tough cookie too, I just, you know… Have bigger and softer pieces of chocolate. Weiss’s like… dark chocolate, something hard, and I’m milk chocolate. Soft.”

The leader sighed, furrowing her eyebrows.

“I’m starting to talk like her, with images,” she mumbled quietly. “I just can’t… shut things out like she does.”

“That’s not healthier to shut things out, you know,” the faunus reminded softly.

“I know,” Ruby chuckled humorlessly before looking up at her. “What a pair we are, right?”

“Ruby-”

“But I’m fine, Blake,” the leader interrupted her, squeezing her hand again. “Thanks for asking. It means a lot to me, even though it annoys me too.”

The faunus chuckled before pulling on Ruby’s hand, pulling her in a gentle hug. Maybe it was because she had been dating Yang for so long, and now they were married, but she had always seen Ruby like a sister, and much like Yang, she had this protectiveness going on, too. And she was only too glad that the leader hugged her back.

They stayed a moment like that, not caring that the others were going without them, and after a while, Ruby took a sharp breath before pulling away gently, looking up at the faunus with a small smile. Blake returned it, genuine, before reaching a hand to the leader’s face, and carefully held her chin, tapping her thumb twice fondly. And Ruby’s smile inched larger.

“You know your mother does that, right? The chin thing?”

The faunus leaned her head over, softly bumping their foreheads together before resuming their walk, keeping the leader’s hand in hers.

“I know,” she nodded. “It always felt reassuring to me, and… I wanted to do the same for you.”

Ruby chuckled quietly, making their hands swing a little as they walked.

“Yeah… It does feel reassuring. I guess it’s a mother’s touch, you know?”

Golden eyes looked over and locked with gentle silver, and she huffed, a smile pulling her lips.

“Yeah,” she breathed, her voice soft. “I guess it is.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! The holidays has slowed me a bit, but I'm glad I'm able to post this now, before the new year!
> 
> So, happy new year! Wishing you that 2018 will be better than 2017!

They walked all day on the dusty road, getting toasted by the sun, but at least, it wasn’t as heavy as when they were in the jungle. It was only when the sun was setting that Lucky entered the tree line, telling them that they would settle early today to be able to go the first thing in the morning, and they agreed. The tracker seemed to know the area well enough, because soon, he led the team to a clearance, and after making sure it was safe, they quickly settled in, for the jungle was growing dark rather quickly.

They decided to start a small fire, to keep away animals too curious from their camp, Blake and Yang were on the job of finding wood and the other to start the fire, while Ruby was unrolling her bedroll, preparing the spot. Weiss, on the other hand, was watching from a distance as Lucky tended to his horse, the man cooing and talking to the animal as he undid the straps of the saddle before taking it off, and it was only when he was about to take off the mat that was under the saddle that he noticed her above the horse’s shoulder.

“You can come closer, you know,” Lucky huffed, leaning his arm on the animal. “She doesn’t bite.”

After a second of hesitation, Weiss stepped closer, her arms crossed, but not as tightly as it has been, and she eyed the horse silently, taking in how large it was.

“You like horses?” the tracker asked, resuming his work.

He patted the large back after he took of the mat, the horse snorting softly, and he set it down over the saddle.

“I never saw a real one, so I don’t know,” Weiss quietly answered. “I only ever saw them in books.”

The man hummed as he lifted the saddle over his shoulder, and he let his hand rest on the animal’s back as he walked around before stopping beside her, patting its back again.

“Well, you can pet her, if you want. I have to get settled too, so I’ll leave you alone for a bit, just make sure she doesn’t step on your foot or something. They’re big and strong, but they can be a little clumsy sometimes.”

The smaller woman nodded without a word, keeping her eyes on the animal who only turned its head to the side to look at them, reaching its nose to Lucky’s hand and making him chuckle. Then, after a second, he glanced at her.

“Do you want to take care of her? After a long, hard day of work, she wants to get pampered.”

Before Weiss could answer, he reached over the tree where the horse was tied loosely and rummaged through one of the leather bags hanging there, pulling out two different brushes, and offered them to her.

“You start with this one, and you finish with the other,” he instructed, waving each brushes. “She likes to be scratched on the neck, by the way.”

He waited until she hesitantly took them, and he gave her an encouraging smile as he set a hand on her shoulder, squeezing a little.

“I’ll do my best,” she quietly said, dipping her head slightly under his gaze.

He smiled, squeezing again before letting go. He turned on his heels, walking away with the saddle still on his shoulder, and Weiss stared at him for a moment, holding the brushes, before turning at the animal, the horse looking at her curiously. It reached its head towards her, turning a little for better access, and she froze when the horse started sniffing her, blowing air through its nostrils, before starting nibbling with the hem of her skirt, and she quickly pulled it out of the way.

“It’s not for eating,” she said, frowning down at it, wondering if it would even listen.

But the large head only straightened, its brown eye still looking at her, before the animal shook its head and started searching the ground, pulling on the tall grass at its feet.

Weiss hummed, surprised. Maybe it did understand. She remembered reading that horses were intelligent creatures. Then, her eyes went down on the brushes she was still holding, and she decided to get to work.

Not really knowing what she was doing, she tried to do it anyway, and soon found the activity quite relaxing, the horse seemingly enjoying the treatment as she brushed through the short fur. She was starting with the second brush when she let her hand wander along the horse’s back, feeling how warm it was, until something nudged her side.

When she looked over, she realised that it was the horse that was nudging her side, trying to nibble at her sleeve this time, and chuckling quietly, she pulled her arm out of reach.

“We talked about this,” she gently scolded it. “It’s not for eating.”

The large head straightened again, the pair of ears pointed straight at her as the horse nickered softly, and as Weiss was about to resume her brushing, the horse nuzzled the inside of her wrist, letting out a loud breath as it did.

Weiss froze again when it raised its head, this time sniffing her face, the air blowing her hair out of her face, and as she was about to take a step back, not really at ease without the owner of the animal, the horse lowered its head, leaning its forehead against her chest… and stayed there.

She blinked, staying still for a moment before glancing around quickly, and very carefully she dropped the brushes at her feet, then hesitantly, carefully reached closer, her fingers brushing against the cheeks of the animal. When the horse only nudged closer, she let her hands slid farther, scratching slightly at the start of the neckline, and she could feel the animal lean on the touch.

With a quiet chuckle, she moved to the side to have a better access, and scratched more firmly with both hands the length of the horse’s neck, and it only kept leaning into her.

“Someone is spoiled, tonight,” Lucky’s voice came from behind her, quiet and amused, but it still managed to make her jump slightly.

She glanced over her shoulder to see him making his way closer with a small smile on his lips, his eyes on the horse as the smaller woman brought her hands down after one last scratch.

“She likes you,” the tracker informed as he reached a hand over to scratch the spot between the eyes. “Doesn’t surprise me, thought.”

“Why?” she asked, curious.

“I still don’t know why, but she doesn’t really like women,” the man started, his brows furrowed. “But, the only women I saw her like were all ones with pale hair.”

Weiss raised her eyebrows high on her forehead, her attention turning to the animal.

“I see,” was the only thing she found to say.

“She also like your sister, but Winter doesn’t like her,” he added with a slight shrug.

“You know my sister?”

He nodded solemnly, keeping his eyes on the horse.

“We worked a few times together, along with Qrow.”

She expected him to explain further, but when he fell silent, she returned her eyes on the horse, too.

“I see,” she said again.

She heard him shift beside her, and she glanced quickly over, seeing the tracker pulling slightly on one side of his shaggy mustache, his lips pinched and hidden under it.

“Your sister told us about… Atlas,” he said suddenly, briefly turning his eyes to her. “I’m sorry.”

Weiss only had the time to furrow her brows before he continued on, returning his eyes on the horse.

“She called Qrow, she knew he was your team’s contact, because she wanted him to tell you about what happened. She didn’t want you to learn about it… exactly the way you learned about it.”

She hummed simply, and for a split second she only wanted to turn around and leave. She really wasn’t in the mood to have a conversation like this with a man she didn’t even know.

“I know my condolences might seem hollow to you, for I am a stranger,” Lucky said after a brief silence, as if he was reading her mind, “but I’m honest on this. And I can lend you my horse, if you ever need her.”

Weiss looked up with a questioning frown.

“Why would I need your horse?” she asked, one hand reaching over to pet the short fur.

The man only smiled, a touch of melancholy in his eyes.

“Sometimes, the best way to feel better is to talk to a quiet friend,” he only answered.

 

****

 

The sun had set for a time when she finally came closer to the camp while Lucky went deeper in the trees to a nearby stream, going to fill the bucket in which Pearl could drink. As she made her way over, expecting to see her bedroll still rolled up beside her backpack, she saw it already laid down beside Ruby’s, the leader laid down on top of her own bedroll, on her back so she could look up at the cloudless sky the clearance gave, and seemingly lost in thought as Blake and Yang were sitting close to the fire, sharing a quiet conversation.

Ruby must have heard her coming because her silver eyes turned to her when she stepped beside her bedroll, and she smiled.

“Hey,” the leader greeted, before jumping slightly. “Oh, um, I know you like to take care of your stuff yourself, but I thought I could take care of your things at the same time as mine. Is it okay?”

Weiss huffed a little, feeling her shoulders sag a little.

“Was I really this terrible last time?” she asked, and she couldn’t help but sigh when she saw the very brief grimace her girlfriend gave her.

“Nah, it’s just… I know you’re a strong and independent woman who doesn’t need anyone to tell you how to live your life, but sometimes I want to do stuff for you and sometimes you… don’t seem to see it the way I do. But,” Ruby insisted, raising a finger in the air. “I remembered how you placed your bedroll and where you put your bag and what you kept close, and I even worked the bumps to make it as even as possible, so… Tadaah!”

Ruby gestured to Weiss’s bedroll, neatly tucked right beside Ruby’s with her bag at the foot of it, and already just by looking at it, she could see that there was less holes and bumps on her side. The leader looked so proud of herself…

“Thank you, Ruby,” she softly let out, carefully sitting beside her partner and taking her hand. “It’s perfect.”

The younger woman smiled cockily as she settled back in her previous position, kissing the back of Weiss’s hand and keeping it in hers as she rested them over her stomach.

“I’m sorry I’m difficult, sometimes,” she continued quietly, curling her legs beside her and keeping her gaze low. “You’re far too good for me.”

“Woah, I’m stopping you right there,” Ruby frowned, looking at her worriedly. “First, I get why you’re ‘difficult’ sometimes,” she used her fingers to air quote the word, keeping her attention on her girlfriend. “Besides, you’ve come such a long way… You know I get it, Weiss,” she insisted, more softly, this time. “And second… Where’s my Weiss?”

The smaller woman only huffed at that, raising a single doubtful eyebrow with a slight roll of eyes, but the leader insisted, sitting up.

“My Weiss is the one who keeps reminding me there isn’t one of us too good for the other. Alright? I’m a badass huntress, you’re a badass huntress, I’m pretty but awfully cute and you’re drop dead gorgeous; we’re even.”

That made her snort, the ghost of a smile on her lips, and Ruby smiled, glad to see it, as small as it was. The leader squeezed her hand shortly, angling her head to try and lock her eyes with her, the frown of worry still apparent on her face.

“It’s rare to see you like that, Weiss,” she softly let out. “Look, I know you’re probably really annoyed at this question, but… Are you okay?”

It took a moment for her to answer, keeping her eyes on their joined hands.

“I’m just tired,” she finally let out.

“Tired-tired, or _tired_?”

“More of the latter. The thing with long days of walking is that I have far too much time to think.”

Ruby nodded silently, her thumb running over her knuckles, and she closed her eyes when she felt the leader lean over to gently kiss her cheek.

“Is there something I can do for you?” Ruby whispered in her ear, leaning her chin on the smaller woman’s shoulder.

Weiss turned her head to the side and softly pressed her forehead against Ruby’s as she kept her eyes closed, and she could feel the leader shift closer as she nuzzled her cheek.

“Just stay here with me, for a bit,” she murmured back. “Just like this.”

Ruby hummed quietly, and she could feel the leader’s hand close on her hip to pull her closer, and soon, she was wrapped in her warmth, one of Ruby’s hands in hers with their fingers laced, and the other gently rubbing up and down her back. They stayed like this for a while, listening to the sounds of the fire and the wind in the leaves and the low voices of their teammates, incomprehensible but reassuring.

After a moment Weiss moved slightly, just enough to brush her lips against Ruby’s, and the leader pressed on eagerly, sharing the softest kiss as the smaller woman brought her hand up to cup Ruby’s cheek, before letting her hand slid down, her fingers curling under the line of the leader’s jaw and caressing down her neck with the back of them, always keeping her touch light, and soft.

She opened her eyes then, immediately catching silver ones, and she could see the reflection of the fire dancing in them, the orange light coming from it creating moving shadows on Ruby’s face, and Ruby smiled, her eyes sparkling in a way that made Weiss tilt her head slightly to the side, furrowing her brows a little.

“What is it?” she murmured, not wanting this moment to pass.

“It’s just a song that popped in my head,” the leader answered in the same way, shrugging a little. “It pops in my head often when I think of you, or when I look at you, actually.”

“Which one is it? Will you sing it to me?”

“It’s… kinda cheesy,” Ruby made a discreet grimace. “And I’m not a really good singer like you.”

“I’m pretty sure I have heard worst,” she said simply, answering for both things.

The leader nodded after a second, agreeing with her reluctantly.

“Just the bit that popped up, then,” she warned, poking the tip of Weiss’s nose.

The smaller woman smiled then, nodding as Ruby cleared her throat quietly, keeping her eyes down for a second before looking up and locking her eyes with her.

“ _You look so beautiful in this light / Your silhouette over me. The way it brings out the blue in your eyes / Is the Tenerife sea. And all of the voices surrounding us here / They just fade out when you take a breath. Just say the word and I will disappear / Into the wilderness. And should this be the last thing I see / I want you to know it's enough for me / 'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need…_ ”

The leader smiled as she shyly looked down, and squeezed the hand in hers.

“I’m so in love,” she continued in her normal voice, hushed for the both of them.

“That’s the song that pops up whenever you think or look at me?” Weiss asked after a beat of silence, earning Ruby’s eyes again.

“Most of the time, yeah.”

The smaller woman dipped her head before leaning forward, burying her face in Ruby’s neck and effectively hiding the blush that colored her cheeks.

“It’s really pretty,” she mumbled. “I love it.”

The leader laughed quietly, relaxing as she wrapped her arms around her, and hidden in Ruby’s neck, Weiss was scowling.

“How can you think of pretty songs? When I think or look at you, I just… I can barely function correctly, much less think about it and find a cute song that would suit you best.”

“I’m not really good with words, so I guess I… talk through cheesy songs,” she felt the leader shrug against her cheek.

“You know,” Weiss murmured after a moment of thoughtful silence. “I lit three other candles, in your room.”

It took a moment for Ruby to understand what she was talking about, and she looked down with her dark eyebrows furrowed, and as she opened her mouth to ask what she was talking about she seemed to remember, and instead she smiled, leaning back on one hand to better look at Weiss.

“Really? Why three?”

“Because I really liked the bit,” she answered, holding one finger in the air, before holding another one up. “Because you cheered me up when I didn’t think I could be cheered up, and,” she raised a third finger, her lips pulled in a soft smile, “Because I loved you singing it. I hope one day you will sing all of it to me.”

 

****

 

“Uh-oh, the princess looks sad,” Yang quietly reported to Blake as she followed the silhouette of her teammate making her way to her bedroll. “You think we’ll have to bring out the big guns?”

Blake rolled her eyes with a smile. ‘The big guns’ was really just the four of them bunking together. It was, in a way, their greatest way of making one of them feel better, so the blonde wasn’t totally wrong by naming it that.

“Let’s just see how it goes,” the faunus reasoned, glancing up at her wife. “And let’s see if she’s going to ask, too.”

Yang half hummed, half grunted, her eyes never leaving Weiss as she talked with Ruby, worry creating a wrinkle between her eyebrows. Blake knew that the blonde only wanted Weiss to feel better. She wanted all of them to feel better. The faunus also knew for a fact that if she could, Yang would gladly just take all of their pain for her to carry, but as it was physically impossible to do, it tore her in half to see one of them in pain.

“Did Lucky said something to her?” the blonde asked, her brows furrowing deeper as her features hardened, her shoulders tensing as she kept her eyes on the other half of the team.

Ready to go punch the lights out of him if he was the reason Weiss was like that.

“He was actually very kind,” Blake informed, setting a soothing hand on her wife’s thigh and feeling it relax instantly. “I just think that she’s… Taking it all in. Realising fully what happened.”

Yang hummed again, relaxing completely, and it took a couple of seconds before she turned to her, a small smile pulling her lips.

“You know, for someone who values privacy so highly, you eavesdrop very often.”

She only shrugged.

“I’m worried, too. And besides, when I hear something I’m not supposed to, I pretend I never heard it in the first place.”

The blonde huffed, covering the hand on her thigh with hers and lacing their fingers together, the light of the fire reflecting on the band of her ring sitting at the base on her finger. They fell in a comfortable silence, and this time, Blake broke it by leaning closer to Yang to talk in her ear, her eyes trailing on their teammates.

“Look at them. You can’t tell me they’re not cute together, Yang.”

“I never said they weren’t!” the blonde sighed as she glanced over, a crooked smile pulling her lips. “It’s kinda rare to see our princess not caring about ‘public displays of affection’, though” she quoted with her fingers. “I don’t think I ever saw them kiss before.”

“Me neither,” the faunus nodded.

Another silence fell on them, but Yang let it; she knew that Blake was listening in, and despite everything, she wanted to hear what the faunus would tell her.

Which didn’t take long.

“Oh my gosh, Yang, Ruby is like… singing a cute song to her,” Blake reported with a large smile, her eyes fixated on the fire.

“Really? Does Weiss like it?”

“Are you kidding? She loves it! Despite everything she says, Weiss is kind of old fashioned; of course cute songs will do the trick!”

“Way to go, baby sis!” the blonde raised her hand in the air, motioning in front of her as if she was giving a high-five to someone.

The faunus started chuckling after a few seconds of silence, and Yang looked at her curiously.

“Weiss, your gay is showing,” was the only thing Blake let out on the matter. “It still amazes me to think about the first month they started dating. Weiss was terrified.”

“What?” Yang huffed, turning to Blake.

“Yeah, she was terrified. She was scared that she might hurt Ruby in some ways. She kept telling me that she didn’t know how to love properly.”

The blonde opened her mouth to say something before grimacing as she shook her head.

“I had a joke but then I remembered it… involved my sister too…”

Blake elbowed her in the ribs, and Yang laughed quietly before gesturing for her to resume what she was saying.

“I’m just glad that she’s embracing this relationship as much as she is, you know?” the faunus shrugged one shoulder. “She might not be the most expressive, but I know she _can_ love properly. And I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what she does with Ruby.”

The blonde hummed, her lips curling in a soft smile as she turned her eyes to her teammates, seeing them cuddled close as they talked quietly, both of them smiling as they held hands.

“I hope they have this for a long time,” Yang softly said, earning Blake’s attention. “I hope this war won’t hurt them too much.”

The faunus squeezed her hand without a word, hoping as much as the blonde that they would get out of this safe and sound. She wasn’t going to hope that they’ll get out unscathed; too much had happened already for her to believe that, and still, there was so much that was going to happen. This journey was far from over, and they all knew that.

So, instead of talking, Blake gently brought Yang’s hand up to her lips, pressing a soft kiss on the back of her hand with her thumb running over scarred knuckles, and the blonde head turned to her, looking down at her with the sunrise in her eyes as she smiled fondly.

“I know we said to never take the other for granted,” the faunus murmured against her hand, nuzzling it gently, “but I’m going to be _very_ mad at you if you don’t get out of this war alive.”

Yang laughed then, quietly, this cooing noise that Blake loved so much making her heart swell in her chest even after all these years together, and the blonde only leaned over to kiss her, taking her lips with all the care in the world as she always did.

“Don’t worry, love,” the blonde smiled, pressing her forehead against Blake’s. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

 

****

 

“You actually called back,” Whitley’s voice sounded surprised on the scroll, slight distortion on the line creating white noise sporadically.

“Of course I did,” Weiss huffed as she held the scroll in her hand, trying to snap the clip of her backpack with one hand. “I told you I would, and I, for one, tend to keep my word.”

She had chosen audio only, hoping the line would be stable enough for this, taking a moment as they were about to take off to return the call and trying to get ready at the same time. When she had asked Ruby if she actually _could_ call her brother, the leader had offered her a thumb up with a smile, and said that she would stall for her if it was necessary. Still, Weiss didn’t want to take too much time to get ready.

“What does that mean?” Whitley asked after a beat of silence, his voice tight.

“It means, Whitley, that when you promise something, you have to keep this promise,” the older sister explained with a roll of her eyes after finally clicking the damn thing in place. “You never called me, even though you promised you would.”

“About Father?”

“Of course, about Father! What would I-”

“I didn’t call because I didn’t have to,” her brother interrupted, his voice strangely even.

That made her pause, along with the rest of the team as they quickly glanced up at her. They were trying to not pry, but they were close to her as they were packing their things, and they were close enough to hear the conversation.

“You… didn’t have to?” she asked slowly, hoping she understood correctly.

“Yes. You…” he huffed, and she could hear the small smile in his voice. “You left quite the impression. Father has never raised his hand on me ever since you threatened him.”

She sat back on her heels, blinking as her eyes dropped to the scroll in her hand, wondering if she had heard the entire thing right. But when she looked up at her teammates, they were trying to hide their smiles as they continued packing, and Yang went to the length of making a thumb up at her, winking.

“I’m… I’m glad to hear it,” Weiss finally said after a while, slowly coming back from her shock. “I’m sorry I practically called you a liar, I just… never thought Father actually _could_ stop.”

“Well, I figure he never had a reason to. I can say that you scared him and his guards, that day.”

A strange feeling settled in her chest as she just stared at her scroll, the words of her brother replaying in loop in her head, making her ears buzz and her hand grip the device tighter.

“I’m glad you did call back, though,” Whitley continued, oblivious. “I wanted to tell you. And I also wanted to thank you for getting out of your way to make sure I would be alright.”

Weiss felt like she was gaping, finding it hard to breathe as she felt her throat tightening, and as the silence stretched, she felt a hand, warm and firm, fall on her shoulder, and she looked over her shoulder to see Ruby, the leader giving an encouraging smile as she squeezed lightly. Clearing her throat, quiet, she swallowed the lump in her throat, taking a sharp breath.

“You’re very welcome, Whitley,” she finally let out, her voice low and soft.

She knew that if she spoke louder, it would tremble. She didn’t want to show how… distraught she was to him.

He huffed again, and she managed a small smile, feeling Ruby’s hand still on her shoulder, giving her support for as long as she needed, but as she looked up, she could see, far back and closer to the tree lines, that Lucky was nearly done tying his bags on Pearl’s saddle, and she cleared her throat again, her eyes returning to the scroll in her hand.

“I have to go,” she breathed, keeping her attention there. “We’re going over the CCT range, so my scroll will be turned off for a while. I… I’ll call you when I get back. Alright?”

“Alright. And I meant what I said, yesterday,” he insisted. “Take care of you. I… I don’t want to lose you too.”

“Take care of you, too,” Weiss only answered.

She heard her brother hum before the tone signaled he had hung up, and she slowly pocketed her scroll, feeling her hands shake as she did, and it took a moment before she looked up into worried silver eyes.

“Are you okay?” Ruby asked quietly, her hand sliding from her shoulder to settle at the small of her back.

“I don’t know,” she breathed, lowering her eyes to her pack. “I… I never thought… I never thought _I_ could scare Father.”

“Hey,” Yang called softly this time, and she looked up at her to see her wink. “Number one badass, remember?”

She heard Ruby chuckle beside her and she blinked, the tightness of her throat relaxing slowly as she managed a small smile.

“Hey!” they heard Lucky call and they turned around, seeing him with his hands on his hips. “Are you ready? We have to go.”

“Do you want me to stall for you?” Ruby asked quietly in her ear as she waved at the tracker with a smile.

“Just for a bit. My legs feel like jelly.”

“Okeydokey!”

The leader jumped to her feet after one last glance before jogging to the man, asking something about his weapon that made him raise his eyebrows high on his forehead. Weiss didn’t waste time, double checking her backpack to make sure everything was in place, and she took a couple of deep breaths to steady her, before finally standing and shouldering the straps of her bag.

Raising her eyes to the sky, she could see it cloudless, the rising sun painting the sky in various colors, and just for a moment, like this, she could almost forget that they were at war.

Almost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, again, a song. This time, it's Tenerife sea, by Ed Sheeran! Here's a link!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHTEGQbtP1I


	5. Chapter 5

The journey was long, days of walking bleeding one after the other, always following the Grimm’s trail further and deeper into the jungles, only rarely coming across stray packs of them to finally get them into action, but those encounters seemed to be far too stretched between to keep boredom at bay. But still, it took a month and a half before Yang started complaining, very soon followed by Ruby, but Lucky would only shake his head and trot further away.

At least, they had full nights. Lucky had assured that they didn’t need to stand watch; Pearl was enough of an alarm system. The horse could smell and hear the Grimm long before they could be close enough to ambush them. But still, as time went on and as they went further and further away from civilisation, they all started to get on edge. They knew that the Grimm were still advancing, and last they heard, Atlas was still pinned down by Salem’s army.

The team wanted this war to be over, just like everyone else, but they were already going as fast as they could. Lucky had to remind them that they had to rest sometimes, and at night, near the campfire as they ate their rations, or some of the apparently endless supply of beans that Lucky had, they could hear him whistle a song as he tended for his horse. It felt oddly reassuring, and brought a sense of normality to those nights.

Sometimes, when the tracker was in a good mood, he sat with them and shared a couple of hunting stories, and the team was only too happy to share some of theirs, too, Yang standing and waving her arms around, often asking Ruby to help her play a Grimm and whatnot. Those nights often ended with good laughs, and as the cinders would rise up in the dark night sky, they all could forget what they were actually doing in the middle of the woods. One night, Weiss indulged to the game, as no one seemed to have a new story to tell, and shared a few of her encounters when she was traveling alone, after escaping her father’s mansion. Although she wasn’t as good a storyteller as Yang, she manages to share enough details to keep it interesting.

Yang complained that she had fought nothing big when she was on her own. Weiss had fought against Deathstalkers and Alpha Ursas, Ruby had fought a golem of rock possessed by a Geist, and Blake had fought a Sea Dragon. Yang had only fought against sunburns has she made her way to Menagerie.

But, through their shared stories, they learned a little about Lucky’s former team. He talked very little about them, but they managed to know that he was part of team CLVR, or, which was quite convenient for him, team ‘clover’, and they got the leader’s first name. Cyan. Seeing as the only member he truly talked about was her, they figured they had been very close. But every question about his team was brushed aside by another question, making it evident that he didn’t wish to elaborate, and the team hadn’t dared to push.

So, the journey went on and on, and sometimes the trail of Grimm was apparent; long, deep gashes of claws were scattered around a couple of trees or plowing the ground, indicating a fight, sometimes it was deep paw prints on still damp ground after a day of rain. But those were signs that the team could follow, and it energized them enough to decide to go a little father up front as Lucky stopped at a stream to let Pearl drink. The tracker let them. He knew better than to try and stop them.

And so, the team marched on, following quickly the trails as it gathered in a small clearance, and they realised with consternation that all the prints were smudged together there, and they couldn’t identify which went and which came. It made Ruby snap.

“I’ve had enough!” she exclaimed angrily, kicking a small loose rock that was sticking out from the ground. “I’m tired of this!”

“I know,” Weiss sighed as she stared at the mess of prints, moving around to try and find others.

“We’ll get there, Rubes,” Blake added.

“It’s just so frustrating! Why can’t we find Salem faster? We’ve been following these trails for months! I’m pretty sure we’re back in Vale’s kingdom right now!”

Yang only rubbed the back of her neck, trying hard not to agree with her sister, knowing that if she voiced it, their leader would be even angrier, but the blonde didn’t need to talk. Ruby knew all too well the team’s pent up frustration, and in her anger, she unfolded her weapon and as fast as lighting, she slashed at a nearby tree with a barely contained scream of frustration.

The tree, clean cut in an angle that made it fall neatly out of the prints’ way, slowly fell in a thunder of branches snapping, with the loud _swoosh_ as the leaves slapped everything in their paths, but instead of the deep silence they expected after the tree fell, a low, deep noise filled the air.

“What the heck?” Yang mumbled, turning towards the sound.

They heard rustling, loud and angry, and the sound came again, louder this time, and the fallen tree moved, the tip of it slowly moving up as branches snapped again. Whatever it was, it was big. Ruby had her weapon ready, and the tree others were reaching for theirs when the tree fell again, this time revealing a very big, and very pissed, Deathstalker.

The tree had fallen on it as it was… resting? Hidden in the bushes and leaves?

Still, the beast set its glowing red eyes on Ruby with a loud screech, and with one large pincer, it ripped the smaller tree in front of it that was blocking its path to the team, before throwing it aside as if it weighted nothing.

“Whoops,” Ruby mumbled with a sheepish smile, and Weiss rolled her eyes.

Apparently, the Grimm was _very_ unpleased by them, because it charged them, its large body moving incredibly fast, pincers and dart at the ready for everything that came in front of it, and forced the team to jump aside at the last second. In its mad dash, the Deathstalker tore into trees and bushes alike, revealing another clearance behind the curtain of vegetation, the sight of a lake seeming almost foreign after so long amidst trees.

Nonetheless, the team dashed to the beast, quickly going for the joint of its armor while Blake threw her weapon in the air, her blade sinking firmly just beneath the golden dart at the tip of its tail.

The Grimm screeched again, wiggling off Blake’s blade right before she leapt in the air, and she stumbled a little as she pulled on the ribbon, retrieving her weapon as fast as ever while Yang kept punching on the side of the beast’s legs, trying to make it buckle.

“Ice flower!” Ruby called, her silver eyes fixated on the red eyes, and Weiss understood perfectly.

While the Grimm was distracted by Yang, and soon by Blake slashing the length of its narrow legs, the partners dashed for its eyes, Ruby bringing her weapon down with enough force to leave a large gash on the armor of its head, while Weiss worked quickly, with her sword and a few shards of ice, precisely hitting their targets.

The Deathstalker roared, slamming its pincer to the side at Yang with enough force to send her tumbling back, before it shifted, swishing its tail to the side at Blake, and the faunus had just the time to throw her weapon at a nearby tree and pull. Weiss saw the golden dart come her way, but figured it would be at the end of the swing, and she casted a glyph to stop it before it could ram into her.

She just hadn’t expected the force of the impact when it collided with her glyph.

The stark white glyph shattered in a shockwave that sent her flying, her breath knocked out of her lungs.

“Weiss!” Ruby called, concerned but still keeping her attention on the Grimm.

“She’s fine!” Blake informed, one of her ear flicking towards Weiss. “She fell in the lake!”

A wave of relief washed over them for a second, before they remembered almost at the same time something very important.

“She can’t swim!” Yang shouted, glancing back, concern all over her face.

Before Ruby could move, Blake had thrown her weapon just on the edge of the lake, the blade sinking deeply in the ground up to the hilt, and she was already shedding her coat, keeping a firm grip on her ribbon.

“I’ll go! Just try to finish this thing off!”

“You heard her, Sis!” Yang slammed her fists together, focusing entirely on the Deathstalker.

Ruby reluctantly returned her attention forward, leaving her partner to Blake. The faunus didn’t waste time, though. She ran as fast as she could, trying to get as close as she could from Weiss on the ground, and she already could see the splashes of her teammate, and when she was close enough, she dived.

She quickly made her way to Weiss, who was splattering and coughing, panicked at the idea that, of all the ways she could go, drowning might be it for her.

“Weiss!” Blake called when she got closer, gaining the smaller woman’s attention.

And indeed, Weiss turned to her with laser focus, gurgling a little as half her face went underwater.

“Easy,” the faunus said, extending her hand for Weiss to take. “You have to stay calm, Wei-”

Unfortunately, the smaller woman wasn’t listening. She did grab Blake’s hand, but she leaned on the faunus heavily to keep her head out of the water, greedily taking deep breath, chocking on her coughs, and not noticing that by doing this, now Blake was the one who’s head went underwater.

Trying to be delicate in a situation like this wasn’t an option. And so, she grabbed a fistful of Weiss’s clothing on her chest and roughly pushed her back at arm’s length, her head finally breaking the surface of the water as Weiss held her arm for dear life, starting panicking again.

“Weiss!” she let out tightly after a few gulps of air. “You _need_ to stay calm or you’ll make us both drown!”

The smaller woman stopped moving at that, but her vice grip didn’t loosen, her blue eyes still fixated on Blake as she angled her head to keep her mouth and nose as far away from the water as possible.

“Are you calm?” Blake asked, more softly this time. “Are you with me?”

The white head only nodded.

“I want you to say it,” the faunus insisted, keeping her eyes locked with Weiss’s. “Are you with me?”

“Yes,” Weiss breathed, swallowing thickly. “Please, get me out, I can’t- I can’t swim-”

“I know,” Blake reminded softly. “I need you to stay calm, alright? Don’t push yourself up on me. Just hang on to me. Don’t worry, okay? I’ve got you.”

“Okay,” the smaller woman let out, her voice low again.

“Good. I’m going to pull you closer; it’s normal if your mouth is close to the water. Mine is close to the water too.”

Slowly, Blake brought Weiss closer, and the smaller woman very delicately wrapped her arms around the faunus’s neck, holding on just a little too tightly but Blake didn’t say anything. Weiss was already shaking like a leaf, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

“I’ve got my ribbon here,” she showed Weiss, her white head turning the other way to see Blake holding on it. “Do you want to go alone and pull yourself all the way, or you want me to do it?”

But Weiss was already shaking her head, holding on a little tighter.

“I can’t-” she started, her voice cracking slightly.

“It’s okay,” the faunus quickly soothed, patting her back reassuringly. “Just stay there. I got you, Weiss, don’t worry.”

The smaller woman only nodded wordlessly, and Blake started the slow and laborious job of bringing the both of them back on the ground. She kept murmuring words of comfort in Weiss’s ear, trying to maneuver with one arm pulling on the ribbon, and she could see, on the ground, Ruby and Yang working in tandem, noticing that the time it took to get Weiss to calm down, the sisters had ripped one of the Grimm’s pincers off, and as she raised her eyes to them, Ruby was slicing the other off. It was just a matter of seconds before the Deathstalker was defeated.

After one mighty blow on the armor of the head, right between two injured eyes, Yang let out a victorious cry that Ruby quickly mimicked, and as the Grimm started to dissolve, the blonde jumped off the defeated beast, and pulled on the ribbon with Ruby’s help, and Blake only had to hold on and let herself be towed to the banks of the lake.

Soon, her feet touched ground, and she walked out of the water with Weiss still clinging to her for dear life, and she gently settled her down, trying to pry her arms off of her neck.

“It’s okay, Weiss, you’re safe now,” Blake gently insisted, and Weiss seemed to understand, letting go immediately.

Yang had fetched the faunus’s coat and let it fall on her shoulders, while Ruby quickly unclipped her cloak before settling it on Weiss’s shoulders, kneeling beside her and brushing a few wet locks out of her face, and reaching over to retrieve Myrtenaster and set it closer.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice and her expression filled with worry as Weiss’s blue eyes slowly went up, and the smaller woman nodded silently.

The leader wrapped her arms around her small frame, never minding that she was drenched and held her close to her for a moment, closing her eyes as she leaned her cheek on her hair with a sigh of relief. Yang set a knee on the ground beside Blake, touching her shoulder and locking her eyes with the faunus in a silent question, and Blake nodded wordlessly, the blonde leaning over and pressing a kiss on her temple, before the faunus suddenly perked up, her ears standing tall towards the forest, and Yang was already turning around, chambering another round in her gauntlets.

After a few seconds, Blake set a hand on Yang’s arm, relaxing visibly.

“It’s Lucky,” she informed.

Just to be sure, Yang kept her weapon ready, but soon, she could hear rustling and the sound of hooves on the ground, now so familiar after all these months, and Lucky, mounted on Pearl, appeared in front of them, guns in hands, sweeping the area with both his cannons.

“Are you ladies alright?” he asked without looking, making sure they were free of threats. “I heard gunfire.”

“We’re fine,” Yang spoke, collapsing her weapons into bracers. “There was a Deathstalker hiding.”

Finally, his piercing blue eyes lowered on them, and he noticed that Blake and Weiss were dripping, and with one smooth motion he returned his weapons in their holsters, twirling them around his fingers quickly.

“Hiding?” he asked as he climbed down, his dark eyebrows furrowing, but he stepped closer to them, setting a knee down as his eyes glanced over them to make sure they weren’t injured. “Grimm don’t hide.”

“I don’t know either, but it was… resting, I think. We ran right beside it and we didn’t even notice it. Something had to fall on it for it to move,” Ruby informed as she reluctantly pulled away from Weiss.

“What fell on it?” he asked, raising a dubious eyebrow.

The team glanced over at Ruby, the leader avoiding their gaze as she scratched the back of her head.

“A tree?” she said, the intonation making it sound like a question.

The tracker sighed, tapping the edge of his hat with two fingers, making it dip in front of his eyes as he seemed to be thinking, and as the silence stretched he finally raised his head, looking at the lake in front of them.

“Well,” he let out in a sigh as he stood. “We could camp here tonight. A lake is a welcome sight, after all.”

“I wouldn’t drink any of its water, though,” Weiss huffed as she pulled the cloak to close in front of her, gaining the attention of everyone. “It tastes awful.”

Everyone furrowed their brows, and Yang seemed about to argue Weiss’s claims when Pearl got closer to the lake, clearly intent on drinking, but as its mouth got closer to the water the horse suddenly jerked back, nickering quietly before starting back towards the trees, pulling on the tall grass there instead.

Lucky frowned deeply, his eyes falling to the lake. The water was still, the surface lightly shimmering because of the wind. He stepped closer, Blake standing and sliding her arms in her sleeves as she shuffled beside the tracker, her eyes searching the water too. As Yang and Ruby helped Weiss to her feet, Lucky took a knee, and cupped a very small amount of water in his hand, before bringing it to his lips, and almost as soon as it touched him, he immediately spitted it back, wiping his lips with the back of his hand as he glanced over his shoulder at Weiss.

The smaller woman was pale, but she always was, her skin tone naturally pale, but at the same time Lucky and Blake looked up at her, Weiss almost literally turned green.

“I’m-” she started, but she promptly interrupted herself, quickly bumping past Ruby towards the trees, and unceremoniously started throwing up in the tall grass at the foot of a tree.

“She must have drink a cup or two of the water,” Blake quietly mused as Ruby immediately went to her girlfriend’s side, while Yang went back through the opening the Grimm had made to fetch a bottle of water, left in their bags.

“It’s supposed to be good to drink,” Lucky flatly said, his eyes staring hardly at the lake. “It’s surrounded by mountains, and the trees should be filtering the water enough for it to be drinkable. I don’t understand,” he mumbled under his breath, his eyebrows furrowing deeply as he set his hands on his hips.

Blake kept her attention on her teammates for a moment, seeing Ruby fretting over Weiss as the smaller woman seemed to be retching every ounce of her being, until Yang came back with her bottle of water, and both sisters rubbed soothing circles on the poor woman’s back. The faunus finally turned her attention away when Weiss stopped throwing up, instead making her way slowly around the banks of the lake and away from them, keeping her attention on her surroundings, and she was nearly on the other side of the lake when she noticed something.

A spot of dried grass, in the middle of the sea of green.

She looked around, at the trees, trying to find if one of them were to be sick and causing this, but her attention came back father away, to other patches of dried grass, and when she got closer, she also noticed something that stood out.

A dark fluid was splattered there, and the grass had turned yellow and dry around it.

That was definitely not normal.

“I think I found something!” she shouter over her shoulder, and she crouched to take a closer look.

The grass dried surrounding the thing. There was no way she would touch it with her bare fingers. So, she glanced around, quickly spotting a twig, and she went to fetch it as she could hear quick footsteps coming closer. As she settled once again in front of the fluid, she glanced up to the team that came closer, and her eyes fell on Weiss.

“Are you okay?”

The smaller woman still looked pale, her eyes a little redder than they were, but she wordlessly offered a thumb up, and the faunus only nodded, returning her attention on her discovery, and very carefully sticking the tip of her twig in the dark fluid.

She didn’t know what she was expecting. But she was a little disappointed when nothing happened.

With a slight grunt of annoyance, she brought the tip out, realising that the dark fluid now covered the twig, large drips falling lazily in the small puddle, sending a few drops aside. They watched as the drops soon faded in the grass, turning the once green, healthy blades into dry and yellow ones in a matter of seconds. Blake’s eyes glanced up at her twig, her eyes narrowing. Quickly, she ripped a few blades of grass, and after glancing at them in her hand for a second, she let them fall on the dark puddle.

The ripped grass fell on the surface, but they didn’t change color, staying the same green as when Blake ripped it off.

“That’s weird,” Yang unhelpfully commented.

“It looks like it’s sapping… life,” Ruby chimed in, her silver eyes looking up and around them.

“We should try and find more,” Weiss let out, her voice a little raspier than usual. “Surely, this thing didn’t appear like this alone.”

“We don’t need to go far,” Lucky said as his eyes went further ahead. “That is the remnant of a trail.”

Blake stood, leaving her twig on the ground as the tracker took a few steps forward, his eyes searching the ground. After a moment, he hummed, his eyebrows furrowing again. Then, without a word, he marched off towards the trees, leaving the team to glance at each other before they quickly followed him. They came across more frequent dried grass, and more of those dark puddles, and they soon realised that it wasn’t really liquid, it was more… slime. Clinging to everything it touched, making it dry and dead, until they caught up with Lucky, not far from the lake, to see a large pool of the dark slime.

“What is… this?” Blake asked quietly, taking in the size of it.

The slime was never still, even if the wind didn’t carry to this place, and it seemed to be moving on its own, perpetually shuddering, the banks of the pool dirty with puddles of the same dark slime, as if something had been dragged out of it.

“I don’t know,” Lucky sighed, a note of worry in his voice. “But it’s why the water of the lake is undrinkable.”

He pointed one side of the pool to show them the very tiny stream it formed, and they followed it to realise that it finished in the lake, the black slime dissolving as soon as it touched the water, and they all could see Weiss’s hands clutch Ruby’s cloak around her shoulders a little tighter.

“Am I… Am I going to die, then?” she asked, her voice quiet and slightly trembling. “I couldn’t help but drink it, and…”

Her eyes fell to the numerous spot of dried grass around them, and her lips started to tremble, but Ruby quickly wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her hand up and down her arm.

“But you threw it all up, so you’re alright now,” the leader softly let out, her tone reassuring. “Right?” she added, this time a little unsure as her eyes traveled from her teammates to the tracker.

“I’m pretty sure she’s safe,” Lucky nodded, giving a reassuring smile to the smaller woman.

“What the hell is happening?” Yang finally muttered as she was marching back to the pool. “First, Grimm that decides to hide, and then this!”

“I don’t know,” Blake sighed beside her. “But it doesn’t look good.”

The blonde stopped for a second, glancing over her shoulder at Weiss and Ruby as Lucky joined them.

“We’ll have to watch over Weiss,” she let out, her voice tight before looking back at Blake. “I really hope she doesn’t have any of this… thing in her stomach.”

The faunus hummed, her eyes still on their teammates until her ears flicked back, and she turned her head towards the sound. Without another word, she stepped closer, Yang close on her heels, and the tracker in tow. They we’re close to the pool, and as they were getting closer, they heard a low noise, a deep rumble far too familiar, and they quickly draw their weapons.

The dark slime was moving again, but this time it was erratic as one big pincer poked out, dripping of black slime, and soon, the other pincer followed, and the first legs of the Deathstalker appeared from the depth of the pool to seek purchase on the ground, slowly but surely pulling its large body out of the slime. The head finally emerged, its many eyes bright red, and it let out a screech that made their blood run cold. Ruby and Weiss were quick to join them, intent of taking advantage of the fact that the beast couldn’t move as half of its body was still under, but before Ruby could say something, Lucky was already there, the stocks of his guns separating in half to let out two collapsed halves of a war axe. With an expert twirl, the man gripped his weapon by the reinforced cannon, and slammed both his axes deep in the joint of the Grimm’s armor, and as it let out a long, whistling whine, Lucky ripped the blades off, twirled his weapons around again, closing his hands on the back of the sharp edge before pressing both cannons of his guns against its eyes, and squeezed the triggers.

The Grimm slipped back into the slime as Lucky’s weapons collapsed into guns again, and he quickly returned them to his holsters, his eyes glued to the pool in front of him.

The team was only taken aback. None of them had seen him move towards the Grimm. He was beside Blake, and then he was in front of the Grimm. They saw him fight before, of course he wouldn’t leave them to clear the few packs of Grimm they came across up until now, but he always fought away from them, so they always caught only glimpses of his fighting style. Lucky, even after all these months together, had never been much more than a mystery to them.

“How did you-” Ruby started.

“Let’s get going. This might have made us follow the wrong tracks,” the tracker interrupted, swiftly starting back out of the trees as he whistled to call his horse.

“Okay, this is insane,” Yang nervously chuckled. “The Grimm comes from this? This… slime thingy?”

“Shouldn’t we report this?” Ruby asked, glancing around her teammates. “To the General and Ozpin?”

Lucky petted the horse’s head for a moment when Pearl trotted closer, seemingly mulling over the whole situation before swiftly climbing on the saddle as he nodded, and reached back to the small pouch on his belt, pulling out the world map he kept there. The silence stretched as he glanced up at the sun a few times, before nodding again as he folded the map again.

“We should be near a village,” he announced, pulling on the reins to make him face the direction they would be going. “We’re going to spent the night there, gather intel and refill our stocks, and make sure Snowflake over there is alright.”

Weiss scowled at the nickname, but before she could argue, Blake stepped forward.

“Good plan,” she admitted, but her eyebrows were knitted together. “But there’s only one person that can call her that, and it’s not you.”

Piercing blue eyes settled on Blake, before shifting to Weiss.

“Oh,” he simply let out, before tapping the brim of his hat, slightly making it dip. “Apologies. Little ice Queen, then.”

But Weiss only seemed to bristle at the.

“Are you making fun of my height?” she accused, her hands curling into fists under Ruby’s cloak.

“No,” the tracker assured, but a small smile pulled his lips. “It’s because you make me think of your sister. But you’re shorter than her.”

“Oh, so you’re telling me that you gave her a nickname and survived,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

The smile on the man’s lips inched larger, added with a chuckle.

“Oh, I never dared call her that,” he assured.

“And what makes you think I’m going to allow it?”

He shrugged simply, but he glanced over his shoulder, his smile half hidden under his shaggy mustache.

“Nothing. But you are, by far, nicer than her, so I know I will still walk away a healthy and whole man at the end of the day.”

He winked at her as she raised her eyebrows high on her forehead, and he clicked his tongue, trotting away as the rest of the team turned to Weiss. The smaller woman blinked a few times, still taken aback by the comment, before her delicate eyebrows were drawn together, and she let out the tiniest ‘humph!” before daintily following the horse, closing the flaps of the cloak around her as the others chuckled quietly.

Still, right before they were out of view, Ruby turned around one last time, staring at the dark pool, the surface still shivering.

How many of those things were out there? This, at least, answered the question as to _how_ Salem got her hands on so many Grimm. It wasn’t any less reassuring. On the contrary; it made Ruby’s blood run cold.

They needed to find a way to block the flow. Keep the Grimm from spawning from them, reduce their numbers. But… How? But, on the other hand, if this black slime appeared there on the first place, then it meant that Salem could create others…

The leader sighed, quickly catching up with her team. They _needed_ to report this, and fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry that i'm doing this to Weiss, even more after the recent episodes. But still.
> 
> I hope you'd enjoyed it!


	6. Chapter 6

“You know, it’s kind of a shame that I liked beans before this war. Because when we get back home, I’m never _ever_ buying some again.”

Yang’s loud grumble made Blake and Weiss chuckle under their breath as they were wrapped up in their bedroll, looking as if they just spent a week without sleep.

Soon after departing the pool of Grimm, Weiss was the first to show signs of fatigue. She kept stumbling on roots, mumbling under her breath, and soon Blake followed. They realised that something was really wrong when Yang tried to talk to Blake and it took three times to catch her attention, and when she turned her head, she looked pale, with dark eye bags under her eyes. They realised too late that the water still clinging in their hair or clothes was probably doing this, and they set up camp, quickly, and while Lucky went to fetch good, clear water, Ruby and Yang helped them change, and when the tracker came back with one bucket of water, he quickly went back to fetch another.

Taking turns, Weiss and Blake cleaned themselves, letting Ruby or Yang rinse their hair meticulously, and after making sure they were clean and dry, the sisters tucked them in their bedroll, telling them to rest as they washed their hunting gears.

Lucky had decided that dinner would be beans, tonight, and on his way to fetch water, he came back with a couple of mushrooms, a couple of berries, some plants that he knew could be eaten unknown to Ruby and Yang, and he made dinner look almost appetizing. Almost. He kept stirring in the large kettle he carried in one of his bags with a long wooden spoon, his face scrunched up and half hidden under the brim of his hat.

Soon, he gave Ruby and Yang bowls of the mixture, and both sisters helped their partner eat, Blake’s hand sometimes shaking too much without Yang’s help.

Weiss simply leaned on Ruby’s shoulder, not even bothering to try and feed herself. She just opened her mouth whenever she saw the spoon.

Between the two, Weiss’s state was concerning. Maybe it was because she was smaller, maybe it was because she drank the water before throwing it up, they didn’t know. The only think they knew was that if Weiss had spent an hour longer in her clothes, maybe… Maybe she would have died. And as Yang talked and made jokes as she helped Blake eat, Ruby was strangely silent, her entire focus on Weiss as the smaller woman chewed slowly, keeping her eyes closed.

To everyone’s relief, they both were feeling better in just the next hour. Being clean and eating had brought back enough energy for Blake to walk around, but still, Yang insisted that she take a nap, while Weiss was already deep in slumber, curled up in her bedroll, only the long white line of her hair poking out from it.

Usually, they weren’t settled this early, and they knew they covered less distance than they were supposed to, but Lucky didn’t minded. He silently watched over them, in the shadow of a tree as the sun slowly set, before turning away towards his horse, and soon, his whistling was heard, reassuring despite everything.

A couple hours later, when everyone was sleeping, Ruby was still up, taking on herself to keep fueling the fire as she drew things in the dirt with a twig, her chin in her hand, and she didn’t notice someone was up until the person sat beside her, making her jump.

“Can’t sleep?” Blake asked quietly, her golden eyes fixated on the drawing at their feet.

The leader rested a hand over her heart and gently elbowed the faunus.

“Can’t you make noises when you walk? My heart nearly stopped. And shouldn’t you be sleeping? You have to rest.”

Dark eyebrows lifted up as shimmering golden eyes flicked to her, Blake’s lips slightly pulled in a smile.

“I did make noises. I even coughed,” she informed, a glint of amusement in her eyes. “And I took a good nap. I’m feeling rested, so let me spend a little time with you, instead.”

Then, she turned to the ground again, pointing with her chin.

“Is this our house?” she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

“Um, yeah,” Ruby admitted, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. “I was trying to decide where I would make my workshop.”

“That’s the first floor?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe in this one?” the faunus pointed at a large room in the back corner, on the left.

“It has large windows on two sides, and I figured Weiss would like it as her office,” the leader countered, pointing with her twig where the windows were.

Blake nodded, humming, before a smile appeared on her lips again.

“This window looks over the backyard, right?” she asked, Ruby nodding. “Weiss will be far too preoccupied by watching you do whatever you will be doing in the yard. She might keep drooling all over the window.”

Ruby chuckled at that, not denying anything, but she kept her eyes on the drawing of the house, pointing with her twig.

“This is our bedroom,” she said, quickly writing an ‘R’ and a ‘W’ in the dirt. “This is yours,” she pointed at a different room, writing the first letter of their names. “Weiss’s office is there, that’s the kitchen and living room, and the bathroom’s there.”

She paused, scratching her cheek again for a moment as her eyes roamed the plan.

“I thought we could transform the garage into a gym,” she reported, tracing a question mark over the space that was the garage. “As far as I know, we don’t need a car.”

“Why not make it your workshop, then?”

“I don’t need that much space,” she sighed. “But we need a gym, right? I know Yang needs one.”

The faunus hummed, nodding.

“Then maybe on the second floor?” she proposed.

Both of them scooted over to let Ruby draw the second floor beside the first, and Blake was amazed by her leader’s memory. On the other hand, from someone who could draw the schematics of a weapon as complex as Crescent Rose from the top of her head, it shouldn’t surprise her that much.

“I figured this could be Baxter’s room, when he’ll come to visit,” Ruby pointed her stick in the room that was taking the center of the second floor. “It’s really nice, it’s got this large circular window that kinda looks like a porthole, and it opens to have access to the flat side of the roof, above the garage. A perfect spot for star sighting.”

The leader tapped her lips for a moment, her eyebrows knitted together as Blake smiled, looking up. But before she could say something, Ruby poked around with her stick again.

“These three rooms could be guest rooms, when your parents come to visit, or when Dad does. I already have an idea for Zwei’s doghouse outside. Then maybe… my workshop could be on top of the gym? It even got a tiny storage room right beside it.”

“You seem to have your mind already set,” Blake playfully remarked.

“This could be the library,” the leader continued without skipping a beat, pointing at the room that would be above Weiss’s office. “This way, we’ll be sure this area will be very silent. And since the gym and the workshop are on the other side of the house… Yeah, that’s a good idea. Plus, big windows for the library, too.”

“I don’t think you really need my opinion on this. You already know it’s perfect.”

The leader smiled, toying with her twig for a moment, before she scooted the other way, and started drawing another thing. Something that Blake did not recognise.

“What are you doing?” she asked above her shoulder, furrowing her brows.

“I want to design Weiss’s desk so it’ll be connected with her scroll,” Ruby absentmindedly let out, her bottom lip slightly pushed forward in concentration. “Maybe a light above her door could tell us when it’s okay to knock or enter and when it’s not. Apparently, someone knocking at the door when you’re in the middle of a very important meeting via video conference really does look bad.”

The faunus blinked for a moment, before looking up at the leader.

“But why not just a button she could flick on and off?”

“Because she could forget if it’s an important meeting. You know how she is when she’s stressed out,” Ruby let out, quickly glancing at her.

Blake hummed again, letting a silence fall on them as Ruby kept mumbling under her breath, drawing things before slashing it and starting over a few inches beside it. As Ruby was absorbed in her task, Blake let her eyes travel to the other side of the campfire, seeing Yang’s prosthetic arm poke out from the blonde’s bedroll, and the soft snores, always sounding so reassuring, met her ears. Then, her attention turned to the side, where only white hair poked out of the bedroll there, and even in the darkness she could see it move with the rhythm of Weiss’s deep breathing. Then, her eyes went for the other side, and there, at the foot of a tree, leaned against his saddled, Lucky slept with his hat tipped over his face.

“You should be sleeping, Rubes,” Blake softly said, bringing her attention back on her leader.

Pausing mid-drawing, Ruby heaved a sigh, leaning her elbow on her knee as she kept her eyes on her drawing.

“I can’t.”

The faunus’s eyes traveled to the leader’s drawings, of the entire floors already figured it out, and now it was her turn to sigh.

“Thinking too much?”

The leader nodded after a moment, the grip on the twig tightening as her lips pressed together in a thin line. Then, Blake’s eyes turned to Weiss.

“Worrying too much?” she corrected.

Ruby’s shoulders slouched, and her eyes drifted down to her hands, but this time, a spark of anger flared in her silver eyes.

“Of course I’m worrying too much,” she muttered. “Two of my teammates were… injured, by this thing. You know as well as me what would have happened if you stayed longer in your clothes.”

Ruby’s face twisted as she spoke, her hand trembling as the twig snapped, but Blake covered it with her own, her touch soft and light, just enough to catch the leader’s attention. Silver eyes went down on Blake’s hand then, and the faunus could see the younger woman relax slightly, her expression softening when she ran her thumb across her knuckles.

“We’re fine, Rubes,” Blake reminded gently.

The leader didn’t say anything for a moment, tension bleeding from her shoulders as she let the broken twig fall to the ground, and Ruby shifted closer, leaning over to rest her forehead against Blake’s shoulder.

“I don’t know what I’d do if one of you…” her voice was quiet as she trailed off, closing her eyes. “I…”

The faunus wrapped an arm around her, gently pulling her in a hug that Ruby returned eagerly, squeezing so tightly that Blake could almost feel her ribs cracking but she only held her, leaning her cheek on top of the leader’s head.

“I’m scared,” Ruby murmured.

The faunus laughed bitterly, turning her head to nuzzle in dark locks gently.

“We all are, Ruby. And it’s okay.”

“But-”

“Just don’t let that fear control you,” Blake interrupted gently, squeezing a little bit tighter. “We’re still here. Whatever happens next, we’ll be there to face it with you, you know that.”

“I know,” the leader mumbled against her shoulder. “But what if next time…”

“Ruby,” the faunus firmly said, and she waited for Ruby’s silver eyes to look up and lock with golden ones. “You can’t spend your life worrying about something that might never happen.”

“But what if it happens anyway?”

“Then take actions from this point. But, Ruby…”

Blake sighed, taking a moment to take in the other woman in front of her as she pushed a stray lock behind her ear.

“You know we’ve got each other’s back. We won’t go down easily. And,” the faunus added with a small smile, glancing over her shoulder towards Weiss’s bedroll, “You know as well as me that she’s far too stubborn to leave you behind.”

It made Ruby huff quietly, but the ghost of a smile appeared on her lips as she looked past Blake to her partner’s bedroll, and a soft expression settled on the leader’s face as her gaze settled there for a moment, before Ruby turned her head over, looking past the fire to her sister, oblivious in her slumber, before returning her attention on Blake, pulling away gently but keeping her hands in hers.

“Yeah,” the leader breathed. “You’re right. I should have more faith in you.”

The faunus nodded as Ruby smiled sheepishly, but she still had a smile on her lips.

“And you may not be a ‘fearless leader’, but I know you’re the bravest of them all,” Blake finished with a gentle poke on the tip of Ruby’s nose.

The leader blinked at the gesture, before bringing one of her hands up to her face, rubbing absentmindedly at her nose.

“But you know, I would be even more worried if you weren’t afraid,” the faunus said as she stood, stretching for a second as Ruby looked up at her. “It means you know what’s at stakes.”

Ruby stared at her for a moment before her eyes lowered to her hands, and she hummed quietly as Blake leaned down, dropping a light kiss on top of the leader’s head.

“You should get some rest,” she quietly said before making her way back to her bedroll, right next to Yang’s.

Ruby watched her go, waiting for her to be settled before she decided to move, standing with a sigh, and she decided to circle the camp, just to ease her mind even if she could see Pearl completely relaxed near the tree she was tied to. Nothing was out of the ordinary. The night was calm, as it always was, she sat on her bedroll with a quiet grunt, working the many buckles on her boots before pulling them off.

But just as she was about to slip in her own bedroll, she changed her mind, wiggling as discreetly as possible behind Weiss, the smaller woman groaning quietly, shifting, when Ruby moved her a little too roughly, but the leader managed to lay down beside Weiss in the same bedroll without waking her up. Now, she was spooning Weiss closely, and after making sure she wasn’t pulling Weiss’s hair, she buried her nose in ivory locks, one arm wrapped tightly around the smaller frame, and for once, sleep came fast.

 

****

 

Ruby woke up at the charming sound of Weiss letting out every curses she knew under her breath as she tried to worm her way out of her bedroll, and when the leader opened her eyes, the smaller woman’s face was far more colorful than the past day.

“Good morning,” Ruby mumbled as she stretched with a groan.

“Finally!” Weiss exclaimed, this time jabbing her elbow in Ruby’s stomach, along with a few hits with her knees, all delicateness flying out the window now that the leader was awake. “I _really_ need to pee, but you trapped me in here.”

Grunting after the second involuntary elbow in her stomach, Ruby rolled out of the way, and Weiss practically sprung out of the bedroll and dashed through the trees, vanishing behind the green leaves and bushes there.

“She’s been working for her way out for the past fifteen minutes,” Yang chuckled nearby, and Ruby looked over to see her sister by the ashes of the fire. “I’m surprised she was able to hold it in until now.”

Blake’s ear flicked and she snickered, pausing mid-rolling her bedroll to look in the direction Weiss disappeared, and using one hand as a voice over.

“That was very unladylike, Weiss!”

Away, a sudden rustling of leaves was heard.

“What the hell, Blake? Stop listening on me peeing!” Weiss’s voice was distant and barely audible over the sound of the wind in the leaves.

“I’m not listening to you peeing, dummy, I just heard the monumental groan you let out.”

“Shut up!” Weiss exclaimed after a few seconds, her embarrassment clear in her voice. “I was so close of peeing all over my own bedroll, so I can and I _will_ be loud upon relief!”

Yang snorted as Blake laughed, and Ruby smiled, sitting up.

“She seems in better shape than yesterday,” Lucky’s voice came from behind them, and they turned around to see him rest his hands on the stocks of his guns. “And you too,” he added, dipping his head to Blake. "I’m glad.”

“Aw, you do care about us!” Yang teased, standing and playfully jabbed his shoulder.

“Of course I do!” he grumbled, rubbing at his shoulder. “I can’t really do otherwise when it’s been so long.”

Weiss came back at that, the last of her embarrassment still apparent on her cheeks as she marched to her bedroll, avoiding Blake’s gaze pointedly with every scrape of grace she could muster. The faunus chuckled at that, and the tracker huffed, shaking his head slightly.

“My mornings sure aren’t as silent as they were with you around. It’s… lively.”

“You don’t like it?” Ruby asked, leaning back on her hands, before being unceremoniously thrown off of Weiss’s bedroll as the smaller woman pulled it from under her, eliciting a yelp from the leader.

“It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just…” he sighed, pulling his hat off to quickly run a hand in his hair before putting it back on. “It’s been a while, is all. Being with a team. It brings back memories.”

“Good memories, I hope?” Yang said, tilting her head to the side as she rested her hands on her hips.

A shadow passed in his eyes, too fast to hide it as he tipped his head enough to hide behind his hat, but he nodded.

“Yeah,” he smiled, his voice quiet. “Good memories.”

“We care about you too,” Weiss said as she flapped her combat skirt in front of her and frowning down at it, surprising everyone. “But, if you don’t mind, I’d like to change.”

Lucky’s eyebrows raised high on his forehead, but he still smiled, his shaggy mustache hiding most of it, and he bowed elegantly as he pulled off his hat and brought it to his chest.

“But of course, your Majesty,” he playfully said with a wink, before turning around and walking away towards his horse.

Silence fell on the camp again. It took a moment for Weiss to realise that the others were staring at her, and as she was about to step in her skirt she looked up, pausing.

“What?”

“We were having a moment,” Ruby let out, knowing without looking that Yang had crossed her arms.

It only made Weiss roll her eyes with a sigh.

 

****

 

“I feel really good,” Weiss reported, small glyphs appearing in her opened hand in quick succession, changing colors and forms each time. “I haven’t felt this well-rested for a while.”

“Well, you did sleep for a really long time,” Blake reminded. “But I get the feeling.”

“I think that much rest was beneficial for everyone,” Lucky added from his perch on Pearl’s back. “Even the old girl’s feeling as fresh as a rose, today.”

He patted the neck of the animal affectionately, making the horse snort softly in response, and Weiss stepped closer, earning the animal’s attention instantly, and she started cooing at the horse as she petted Pearl’s large cheek.

“Ah yes, look at you Pearl, you’re so pretty today,” was one of the many things the smaller woman babbled to the animal.

The large head turned to the side, trying to nibble at her sleeves, and Lucky sighed as he let go of the reins, knowing well enough that Pearl would follow Weiss wherever she went as the smaller woman lectured her about good manners in the same cooing voice. The rest of the team, who was watching the scene, sighed in synch.

“You should buy her a dog or something,” Yang snickered at her sister.

Blake, who was walking with her hands behind her head as she looked up at the sky, promptly let her arms fall down in alarm.

“Please don’t.”

“A cat, maybe?” Ruby proposed, her lips curling slightly.

The faunus narrowed her eyes a bit, one of her ears flicking as her golden eyes glanced up at Yang, the blonde purposefully keeping her mouth shut.

“I’ll think about it,” Blake finally said.

“Can you imagine the mess it would cause if we get a cat and I use my laser pointer?” the blonde leaned over to her sister to whisper into her ear. “Besides, I’m pretty sure she wants to be the alpha cat.”

As Blake whipped her head around to glare at them, her ears flattening on her scalp, Ruby couldn’t help but giggle as she thought about this.

The day was still early, a few hours passed midday, and they were walking on a dirt road, large enough for a cart but not very much else bigger than that, but they were still a day away from the village Lucky wanted to stop at.

Well, it was as per Lucky’s map. So when they saw what looked like the frame of a gate, farther away on the road, they all found it strange. As they got closer, they could smell something in the wind. Burnt wood, and something akin to charred meat, and it got all of them on edge, a dreadful feeling settling on their chests as they hurried on. And upon arrival at the gate, they all stopped, shocked beyond words.

Burnt ruins were lying in front of them. Houses and buildings, all made of wood, had composed this once small settlement, so small that it didn’t appear on the map, and so small that it didn’t have walls to protect it. And as if they needed proof of what happened, the large prints of paws, assuredly Grimm judging by the size of them, were there in the dirt, barely touched by the elements.

“I’ll try to find where they came from,” Lucky quietly said, before clicking his tongue and trotting away.

The team stayed still for a while, and Blake crouched, trailing the tips of her fingers in the dirt. It was dry, of course, it hadn’t rained for a couple of days, and as she looked up at the ruins, it looked like the last of the fire had been extinguished days ago. In other words; they were far too late.

“Spread out and search for survivors,” Ruby finally said, her voice small and barely audible, but there was an edge to it that made it impossible to question.

Still, the rest of the team looked at her in disbelief, all of them thinking the same thing, but it was Blake that voiced it as she stood again.

“Ruby, it’s been days-”

The leader looked at her then, her features so sharp that it could equal the steel in her eyes, and without another word, Ruby started towards the ruins, soon followed by her team.

As ordered, they spread out between the ruins, keeping each other within shouting distance, and Ruby went through the main and seemingly only road, walking past fallen and darkened portions of walls, broken beams and shattered glass littering the dirt, and among these, the leader found the first corps. Laying in the center of the road, probably running before being clawed from behind, then left there, too far away from any building to burn with them, instead being exposed to the merciless sun, making it rot as flies buzzed around in large packs, darkening the figure, the dried blood surrounding the body packing the dirt.

 

\----

 

On the other side, Yang entered the first large building she saw, climbing on the few steps and making them groan under her weight, before entering through what remained of a doorframe, only the far wall and the stoned fireplace still standing and leaving the rest open to the elements. Her lilac eyes traveled across the ruins, noticing that the ceiling had given in, and also noticing that a metallic pole had fallen close to the fireplace. She walked to it to inspect it, and she realised that there were rings on the pole, and figured it was something holding curtains up.

She maybe had found the cause of the fire. She looked up at the far wall, noticing the claw marks around the windowsill, and figured that a Grimm entering through the window had ripped the curtains from the wall, and as she looked around, she noticed in the corner of her eyes that Weiss had followed her into the building.

“I’m pretty sure the fire started here,” she informed her with a sigh, looking down at the fireplace.

The smaller woman hummed, her pale eyes taking in the large room, noticing the furniture there as she trailed her fingers on the surface of what looked like a desk. But it was small, and as she investigated further, she found nearby remnants of chairs, and other desks, and as she kept going deeper in the room, she noticed a large amount of burned books, scattered amongst the broken and burnt remnant of a bookshelves.

Not caring about the soot, Weiss delicately picked a not too damaged book, paging through it delicately, finding a few pages that were still readable even if the edges were burnt. Furrowing her brows, she tried to find another book, and after paging through it, she looked back at the large room, and it clicked suddenly.

“I think this place was a school,” she said, loud enough for Yang to hear. “These are textbooks.”

She motioned at the destroyed bookshelf and the burnt books as Yang made her way closer, and Weiss touched one of the still standing desks, feeling it dry and the corner molder under her fingertips.

“These desks are too small for adults.”

“Where are the kids?”

Weiss looked up in time to see the blonde’s frown of worry as she glanced around, and Yang seemed to be scanning every inches of the room, now.

“Maybe they were all home?” Weiss suggested, setting the books she was still holding on the small desk. “If it happened at night-”

“A Grimm came through the window,” the blonde pointed at the windowsill for Weiss to see. “If it really was a school…”

Yang trailed off, pinching her lips as she swallowed thickly, and without a word, they searched the large room thoroughly. It took a few minutes before Weiss heard the gasp the blonde let out, and as she looked up, she saw Yang kneel very slowly and carefully right beside the wreckage of the ceiling, her lilac eyes fixated on something, and she quickly went to her side, and it didn’t took long to know what the blonde had found.

Poking from under the wreckage and blending among the broken and carbonized shards of wood was what looked like a small hand, burnt and moldering, and Yang reached out to it, delicately. But as soon as her fingers touched it, it fell in pieces, burned through and making it so fragile that a single touch would break it.

There was a hitch in Yang’s breathing, and Weiss felt her heart sink in her chest.

Still, the blonde stood, steeling her expression as she walked around the debris, staring at it for a moment, before slowly, purposefully digging up, throwing broken pieces of wood behind her, never minding her rapidly darkening hands, her expression determined, and after a few seconds Weiss helped her.

Soon, they could see through the hole other corpses, small, some curled together and others lying down, and Yang kneeled again, her eyes welling up as Weiss looked over the scene, feeling helpless again for the too-many-time in this damnable war.

“They’re all here…” was the only thing she was able to say, her words leaving her lips in a breath.

She felt something nudge her side, and she looked down, seeing Yang rubbing her face against her side, and she didn’t have to see it to know that she was crying. Feeling her own eyes prickle, she set a hand on the blonde head, pulling her slightly closer to her as she looked back at the disaster in front of them, and Yang wrapped an arm around her knees, and this time, the shake in those broad shoulders was apparent.

After taking in a steadying breath, Weiss looked away and out of the room, trying to find her teammates. Ruby was easy to spot, her crimson red cape catching the eye, but the leader seemed to roam the ruined settlement aimlessly, her expression haggard and unfocused, and she searched the rest of the settlement, finally finding Blake near the outskirts of it, the faunus’s ears flickering from time to time as she climbed off a porch. As if she felt her stare, Blake looked up at her, gold and pale-blue locking for a second before the faunus’s eyes lowered a little, taking in the larger picture, and her expression turned to worry as she made her way towards them.

“Did you find something?” Weiss asked, her voice quiet and soft when Blake was close.

But the faunus shook her head.

“You?”

The smaller woman motioned at the hole in the debris, before resuming petting Yang’s hair soothingly, never minding that the dark soot in her hand was soiling her hair.

“We found the kids,” she reported, her voice cracking at the end.

Her eyes dropping to Yang, Blake let out a stream of air that sounded very faintly like an ‘oh’ of understanding, the faunus stepping closer and peeking into the hole before looking away, her ears flat against her scalp as she let out a curse.

“I…” Weiss started, before clearing her throat, hoping her voice would be as steady as she wanted. “I should check on Ruby.”

Blake let out a long breath, and Weiss recognised it as a way for her to keep her thoughts in order, to stay calm even in a nightmare, and she lowered her eyes to her wife, stroking Yang’s blonde hair for a second.

“I’ll get Rubes,” the faunus offered after a moment. “Just get Yang out of here.”

 

\----

 

He didn’t have eyes anymore. Crows or ravens must have feasted over the corps long before the flies and worms settled in. And wherever she looked, there was another body, rotting under the sun or burnt to a crisp, a house or a building burned down, everywhere she looked was destruction and desolation. Everywhere she looked was a life lost, and she could almost see the blood on her hands, feel it coating her clothes and recognise its metallic taste on her tongue.

Everywhere she looked was a life lost because of her, because she still hadn’t put a term to this war, because she still hadn’t put Salem down.

She didn’t know how long she has been walking through the ruins. It could have been an eternity and she wouldn’t even know. A tug on her arm caught her attention, and she looked at it, realising that someone was grabbing it. She raised her head, and it took a moment to recognise these golden eyes through the fog in her head. Blake. Her teammate.

Blake’s mouth moved, but she didn’t hear anything. She felt like her ears were filled with cotton, blocking out every sound. In fact, she felt like her entire being was filled with cotton, keeping her from feeling anything, and it wasn’t until she saw Blake reach for her face that she realised she was crying.

But she didn’t feel it. She couldn’t feel anything. Even when Blake pulled her into her arms.

She felt empty of everything. Lifeless.

The logical part of her brain was whispering to her, telling her that she should get going. Get back on her feet and go on, as she should do, as it was her duty to do. But she knew that something important inside her was broken, now. Broken beyond reparation.

And it terrified her more than words could ever describe.

There was motion around her, but she was still trapped in a haze, her body following mindlessly, never minding people guiding her and fretting over her. Because as the day went on, as she was dimly aware that they had made it to the village Lucky had talked about, seeing Weiss talking with the long-ranged radio, she finally could feel something inside. Something growing steadily, warming her body and burning her brain, but after everything, she welcomed it with open arms.

Anger.

Anger was the only thing she felt, now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoopsies! This chapter was lying around in my system for a couple of days now, and I forgot to post it...
> 
> So here it is! I hope you'll enjoy it!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a hundred years! I just kinda worked a lot, and then i worked on a side project, so... yeah haha.
> 
> But here it is! Thank you!

“I’m not hungry.”

These were the first words Ruby said since the destroyed settlement, and her voice was even as she pushed back her plate, calmly standing and leaving without a word to climb the stairs leading to their rented rooms. The team watched her go, and Weiss was already setting down her fork and was about to push her chair back to chase after her when a hand on her arm stopped her.

“Leave her be,” Lucky let out, his eyes staring at the top of the stairs where Ruby had disappeared.

Her first instinct was to pull away and still go, but as she glanced at Blake and Yang, both of them looked like they agreed with the tracker, and after a couple of seconds, she nodded, and the hand lifted from her arm. But when she took her fork back, it was only to poke at her food, suddenly the idea of eating making her stomach churn.

She looked up at her teammates, observing them closely. She knew they were concerned about Ruby; Yang’s face alone was enough of a tell. But it was the way they sat close to each other, their hands brushing, or the way they kept touching each other, the way they could have entire conversations just by sharing a glance that was concerning. They were perpetually supporting each other in this difficult time, and with Ruby’s emotional shut down, Weiss had never felt more alone than right now.

Because that’s what it was. Weiss could recognise it anywhere. She had seen it far too many times in the mirror, growing up, and even if she had experienced it, she was clueless about what to do. She wanted to help Ruby, wanted to make everything right again, but she had no idea how.

She stabbed a vegetable with maybe more force than was necessary. She would bring up Ruby’s leftover food, just in case she remembers that she has to eat. And she spent the rest of their meal thinking of what she would say to Ruby, mentally writing a speech, correcting it with a furrow of her brows and erasing entire sentences with a stab to her food. All in all, it kept her occupied, and gave her restless mind something to do, something to focus on.

But at the end of it, and by the time she was in front of the door, she still didn’t know what to do.

Even just entering, she didn’t know what to do. Should she knock? Should she just go in?

She opted for both.

Knocking softly twice on the door before turning the doorknob, she poked her head inside, about to greet her partner with a smile when she realised that there was no light in the room, Ruby’s weapon and backpack already leaned against the wall as the leader was already in bed, lying on her side with her back to the door, and seemingly fast asleep. With a sigh, Weiss entered the room, closing the door behind her silently as she leaned her back on it for a moment, her eyes settled on Ruby’s form, before she pushed herself from the door, making her way silently to the connected bathroom, intent on taking a scorching hot shower that maybe would dissolve her into oblivion.

Slightly disappointed that she wasn’t feeling any better, at least she was clean, and it was enough to calm her down enough to finally step out of the shower, and as she reached for the towel, she realised she wasn’t alone in the room.

Ruby was leaned against the door, waiting for her to get out, and as soon as she heard her gasp, the leader looked up, locking her eyes with hers.

“Ruby, what-” Weiss started, quickly wrapping the towel around herself.

Whatever conversation they were about to have, she didn’t want to have it stark naked.

But instead of talking, the leader closed the distance without a word, and crashed their lips together.

White eyebrows shot up high as she felt Ruby’s hand against her back, pressing her against the leader, and when she tried to say something, Ruby only muffled her words with another demanding kiss.

The younger woman moved them around the room, making Weiss walk backwards until her back hit the door, and the feeling of Ruby pressing into her made her gasp in her mouth, and the predatory, dangerous look in her partner’s eyes, so dark now, made her feel some primal need, and instead of focusing on keeping the towel around her to dry herself, she let it go and let her hands wander over Ruby’s clothes, pulling harshly. As her hands were about to meet skin under Ruby’s tank top, the leader grabbed her hands and roughly pinned them above her head, and as she was about to protest, the look Ruby gave her made every words she was about to say die on her lips.

They made love twice, that night. Well, Ruby made love to her, for the leader hadn’t let her touch a single inch of her besides her lips. Not a word was spoken between them, and even after, when Weiss rolled over to cuddle her, Ruby pulled away, keeping a distance between them, and as she could hear the leader fall asleep, she knew.

She knew that something was really, really wrong. And even being so physically close to Ruby, she had never felt so far away from her than right now.

 

****

 

She woke up slowly, but as the room around her was silent she kept her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling a while longer, and out of habit she reached out beside her, trying to find Ruby, but soon realised that the space beside her was empty. She rolled over with a frown, extending both her hands, feeling the edge of the mattress, and she opened her eyes with a sigh.

Waking up alone in bed wasn’t unusual in itself; Ruby was always close by, because she knew Weiss hated waking up alone. Usually, the leader would be sitting nearby, and would be watching her sleep.

So when she opened her eyes and glanced around only to find the room empty but for herself, she could feel the scowl forming on her features, and as she fell back against the mattress, running a hand in her hair with a sigh as she remembered the night before, she lolled her head to the side to look out the window.

And she realised that Ruby’s backpack and weapon were gone.

Sitting up suddenly, a dreadful feeling squeezed her entire being like a giant hand, and as apprehension settled on her chest, she got out of bed, searching for her clothes as she realised that none of Ruby’s were on the floor. Somewhere, in her mind, the small, cold voice of the logical part of her brain reminded her that she would have gathered her clothes if she had left.

Another part of her was wondering why she was panicking like this.

Ruby… Couldn’t be gone, right?

After her weird behavior last night, and now this…

Haphazardly putting on the loose shirt she always wore as her sleepwear, then jumping in her skirt, she opened the door wide and tumbled in the hallway, surprising Yang that was coming out of her room.

“Woah, Weiss, what’s the-”

“Ruby,” she managed to croak, her throat squeezed so tight that even breathing was hard. “Where’s- Where’s Ruby?”

Yang looked at her as if the answer was evident, and as she pointed at the stairs, she felt like the biggest fool Remnant has ever carried.

Down the stairs, near the counter, Ruby was talking with Lucky, and even if she looked rather unpleased, she was still there, her backpack already on her shoulders and her weapon folded in its holster, on the small of her back. And as if she felt her stare, Ruby looked up, and locked her eyes with her.

Before blinking away, returning to her conversation as if nothing had happened.

“Weiss?” Yang’s voice brought her back to reality, and she felt the cold touch of her prosthetic through her shirt, on her back. The solidity of it was reassuring. “Are you okay?”

She looked up at her, seeing the concern in lavender eyes as the blonde eyed her up and down, and only now did she realise how she must look. Bursting out of her room in mismatched clothes, with her hair undone and looking completely and utterly panicked.

The question made her huff bitterly, and she brought a hand to her face, hating the way it was trembling, hating that she thought Ruby was going to leave her behind, and she pressed her knuckles against her forehead as she closed her eyes.

She really was a fool. Ruby would never leave.

… Right?

“Yes, I’m…I’m fine,” she managed to let out. “I’m sorry.”

She hated how this white lie was always the thing she fell back to, prepared in advance and easy to use, and she hoped that Yang would see right through it. But unfortunately, she didn’t.

“Aw, is it your dream giving you trouble again?” the blonde pouted sympathetically, and she was already pulling her closer. “C’mere. Imma hug the nightmare out of you!”

Soon finding herself squished between the blonde’s arms, her face pressed against Yang’s strong shoulder as she felt the taller woman rest her chin on top of her head, Weiss couldn’t help but relax, her stiff shoulders loosening as she reached up, clutching at the blonde’s tank top and closed her eyes for a moment.

“Weiss,” she heard the blonde breathe, feeling the taller woman nuzzle her hair slightly. “You’re shaking like a leaf. What kind of dream was it? This isn’t the usual one, right?”

It took a moment for her to answer, wondering if she should just tell Yang about why she was afraid. Why she was so panicked. But she stopped herself. Ruby would come around again. This was only temporary, she decided firmly.

“It’s nothing,” she finally let out, her voice quiet and muffled against Yang’s shoulder. “Just an irrational one. It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she breathed after a second of hesitation.

“Come on! Why?”

The outburst coming from downstairs made Weiss jump slightly, feeling Yang’s arms tightening ever so slightly around her, and they both recognised Ruby’s voice.

“Red, calm down. You know why.”

Lucky’s voice came to their ears, low and calm, in a sigh that was barely audible, and in the silence the leader’s cry had created, they heard her scoff, irritated.

“That’s bullshit.”

Then her stomping in the stairs, and soon, Ruby appeared at the top of it, her eyes glancing over them before stopping in front of the room she shared with Weiss, her lips twisted harshly.

“You can go back to bed, ‘cuz apparently, we’re not going anywhere,” the leader growled before entering the room, throwing her backpack in the corner.

Ruby dropped her weapon on the bed as she paced in the room like a tiger in a cage, and Yang released her hold on Weiss slowly, her soft expression of worry turning to deep-seated concern as she looked at her sister. The smaller woman looked at her, too, and seeing Ruby in this state made her wonder.

If Ruby really wanted to go right away, then why didn’t she wake her up?

But before she could ponder it longer, Ruby grabbed her weapon to lean it against the wall and feel on the bed, staring at the ceiling as she brought her hands behind her head, scowling hardly at it.

“I’ll go try to calm her down,” Weiss grimaced slightly.

Yang nodded slowly after a moment of hesitation, glancing one last time at her sister, then squeezed Weiss’s hand before starting towards the stairs. Weiss watched her go, before letting out a quiet sigh, and entered the room, closing the door behind her.

She stayed there for a moment, observing her partner. Her girlfriend. The woman she would follow through hell and back, the person she knew by heart, and yet, right now, she felt like she was looking at a stranger.

“What?” Ruby asked suddenly, keeping her eyes on the ceiling, her scowl deepening.

Her voice was even, her tone wasn’t even harsh anymore, and she straightened her back, stepping closer to the bed.

“Can I join you?” she softly asked.

Silver eyes flicked at her before returning to the ceiling, and the leader scooted over even though there was enough space for the both of them. Still, Weiss carefully lay down beside her, Ruby keeping distance between them, and for a long moment, they stared at the ceiling in silence.

She could feel the sharp tugs of Ruby’s nails digging in her skin, scratching at her nails and the skin surrounding them in an idle pattern, hidden under her head. Usually, Weiss would stop her, lecture her about how she could hurt herself, damage her finger or nail enough for it to bleed, but she let it be, for now. As time passed over them, the sun rising slowly, the pattern slowed down, and Ruby’s tense frame gradually relaxed, the scowl she had on her face fading away, replaced by an expression she had never seen Ruby wore before.

When the sharp tugs entirely stopped, she thought that Ruby was calm enough to have a conversation.

“Ruby,” was the only thing she said.

She noticed the way the leader clenched her jaw for a second, but she still hummed, softly, quietly.

“Were you… leaving?”

She asked because she had to make sure. Because her mind sometimes would play tricks to her, and she hoped, no, she _knew_ that Ruby would be honest enough to tell her. But the silence that followed was deafening, and she lolled her head to the side, seeing that Ruby’s expression was hard as she stubbornly kept her eyes to the ceiling.

It felt like a stab in the back. She had been right.

“Why?”

Her voice wavered, and Ruby heard it, closing her eyes shortly.

“I have other things to do than sit around, waiting for Uncle Qrow to meet up with us,” the leader grumbled as she shifted slightly. “But apparently, I’m ‘not fit for travel’.”

She scoffed, pulling one of her hands from under her hand for it to rest on her stomach, toying with the lace of her corset.

“Lucky caught me before I could slip away. I-”

Weiss abruptly sat, letting her legs fall from the edge and turning her back to her partner, the movement effectively cutting Ruby off. She felt a strange feeling of emptiness replace the dreadful one, and behind her, she heard the quiet sigh of her partner.

“You… you really wanted to leave me behind,” she finally managed to say, shaking her head slightly.

“Not only you, is it’s any consolation.”

“But why would you do that?” she asked, looking back. “Why would you go alone?”

The leader sighed again, shrugging one shoulder, the hand on her stomach curling into a fist.

“I’m faster when I’m alone.”

Weiss scoffed at that, the sound harsh enough for Ruby to finally look at her longer than a second as she stood, recognising instantly the warmth of anger in the pit of her stomach.

“You wanted to go alone,” the smaller woman repeated, nodding as she took a few steps away from the bed. “So you wanted to leave alone, to track Salem until you find her, then you take her and all her Grimm alone. Is that it?”

“I know you’re upset-” Ruby started as she sat up on the bed.

“Of course I’m upset!” Weiss interrupted in a hiss, spinning on her heels to face her. “You don’t know how to follow tracks. Who knows how many Grimm, or worst, Salem keeps as her personal guards. And, let’s not forget about the witch; you _know_ she’s powerful enough to cause all of this!” she gestured at the window, meaning the world-wide war. “And you want to do all of this, _alone_?”

Ruby’s face hardened, her jaw clenched so tight and her eyes shining in anger as she stared at Weiss, the leader gripping the sheets so hard that her knuckles had turned white.

“You’re only going to get killed, if you do that.”

“I’m the silver-eyed warrior!” the leader almost roared, jumping from her spot on the bed to stand only a few inches away from Weiss. “It’s my job to kill her!”

Weiss flinched, almost imperceptibly, Ruby’s sudden closeness and the way her eyes bore into her, her lips twisted, made her realise that never before she had been afraid of Ruby. But as she was shaken inside, anger took over. Old habits die hard.

“You have to get to her to do your job!” Weiss snarled, stabbing a finger in her chest. “And what was that, last night? You think you can just screw me and leave without saying goodbye?”

Something in the leader’s expression faltered, and she swatted her hand away roughly, the words seemingly rolling on her tongue but never passing her lips, and they stared into each other’s eyes, ice-cold blue in steel-gray, silently challenging each other, daring the other to look away first.

But when Ruby did look away, her expression darkening, Weiss could see, passing very quickly in Ruby’s features, sadness. And guilt.

Without another word, the leader brushed past Weiss, going for the door, until the smaller woman spoke again, this time quietly.

“Don’t think I would forgive you if you ever left me behind, Ruby.”

The younger woman stopped then, her hand only a few inches away from the doorknob, and Weiss could see her shoulders droop slightly, see her take a couple of deep breaths before looking over her shoulder, at her.

“I already told you,” Weiss continued, a lot more softly but as quiet as before. “I’m ready to go through Hell and back _with_ you. We’re partners. We’re a team. I _want_ to be with you, Ruby. I want to face this with you. So, please… Don’t leave me behind.”

Ruby’s gaze lowered to the floor, but she didn’t move an inch. Weiss took a step closer.

“And if you ever do, I will hunt you down, Ruby Rose. I _will_ find you again, and I will make you regret leaving me. It’s a promise-”

The leader moved fast, blinking fast, and before she knew it Ruby was standing in front of her, only a few inches between them as a couple of rose petals slowly fell, swirling down. The look in her eyes… Ruby looked as if she was in pain.

“Ruby-”

But again, she was interrupted, the leader leaning over to steal her lips, insistent, almost desperate but not as brutal as the night before, Ruby’s eyes sliding shut as she pressed closer, her tongue running over Weiss’s lip, asking for entrance. The smaller woman couldn’t help the quiet moan she let out when the kiss deepened, and she reached up to cup the leader’s face but as soon as her fingertips met Ruby’s skin, the leader grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away as she backed them towards the bed.

They fell with a surprised yelp, but Ruby quickly resumed the kissing, moaning in Weiss’s mouth when the smaller woman bit her tongue slightly. The leader slipped between Weiss’s legs, bracing her weight on her knees, and as she kept kissing the smaller woman, she unbuttoned the shirt she had on, her hands ghosting over Weiss’s smooth skin, kneading at her breasts.

Soon, Ruby’s mouth traveled there, kissing, sucking and biting in places and ways she knew would make Weiss’s heartbeat pick up and her breath come out strangled, trying to choke back moans. Ruby felt desperate with every kisses, possessive with every touch, and Weiss would meet her with the same intensity, arching under her to feel as much of Ruby as she could.

With every touch of Ruby’s lips on her, Weiss would reach out, wanting to tangle her fingers in the leader’s soft hair, but every time, Ruby would grab her wrists and pull them away. After the seventh time, Ruby pulled away slightly, the hold on her wrists tight.

“No,” she panted, her breaths short. “Don’t touch me.”

“But-”

“Weiss. Don’t touch me.”

There was a plea in her voice, and after a second, the smaller woman nodded, and Ruby let go. And as Ruby’s mouth went down on her stomach, Weiss brought her hands up in her own hair, and settled them there. Soon, her hands fisted in her hair when Ruby didn’t even find it strange that she wasn’t wearing underwear, and just lifted the skirt up and out of the way.

Sex with Ruby had always been great, even in the beginning. The leader was attentive, always seeking to please, and a very, very fast learner. It didn’t took long for Ruby to know everything Weiss liked, and sometimes, Weiss almost felt embarrassed at how fast Ruby would make her come, just like right now as she had to bite down on her knuckles to keep the moans she wanted to let out in check, feeling Ruby grip her hips to steady her.

As Weiss was slowly coming back from her high, the leader sat on her heels, quickly wiping her mouth, and the leader kept her eyes locked with Weiss as her own hand went down between her thighs, and she started touching herself.

Without thinking, Weiss extended her hand to help, but Ruby grabbed it again.

“I told you,” the leader reminded in a breath. “Don’t touch me.”

“Ruby,” she almost whined. “I want-”

“No.”

Her eyes were still fixated on her with laser focus, and the grip on her wrist tightened just a bit as a shiver shook Ruby, her eyelids lowering slightly.

“Can I kiss you, at least?” the smaller woman asked quietly.

Ruby blinked, before leaning over and gathering both of Weiss’s hands in one to pin them above the smaller woman’s head, and crashed their lips together, pressing their chests together as Ruby’s hand still worked quickly between her thighs. The leader panted in her mouth, moaned and groaned in her mouth, against her lips, her body shivering against hers, the grip on Weiss’s wrists never loosening until Ruby’s back arched, the younger woman moaning loudly as Weiss kissed her.

Ruby stayed there for a moment, her breathing slowing down and the hammering in her chest slowly and gradually calming, the leader’s face hidden in Weiss’s neck, the smaller woman’s hands still trapped above their heads. They didn’t say anything, and when Ruby’s grip loosened on her wrists, Weiss was about to pull free to stretch, but Ruby stood suddenly, then without a word went to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. A moment later, the sound of the shower starting was heard.

Weiss sighed, closing her eyes as she was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She felt clueless. She didn’t know what she did wrong, but she definitely did something wrong.

Ruby wanted to leave, and now she couldn’t touch her, even when they were intimate.

She sighed again, and closed her eyes.

 

****

 

Well, Weiss’s behavior was definitely strange. But, Ruby’s too, now that she was thinking about it. The leader had been the first to be up, and she had argued with Lucky so loudly that it had woken Blake up, then her.

Blake went out first, wanting to order their breakfast so it would be ready when Yang would come down. The blonde was glad for the time alone Blake was giving. The day before had been… a bit much for everyone.

For her part, she had woken up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, and Blake had to hold her until she calmed down enough to go back to sleep, petting her hair and repeating over and over that she was okay. But she just had to make sure everything was okay in Menagerie, too.

So, after splashing her face with ice-cold water a couple of times, she was ready to head out, and stumbled on Weiss as she stepped out. Her nightmare must have been as bad as hers, though. She had never seen such an expression in her blue eyes. And then Ruby went to her room, completely and utterly furious, and Weiss followed her.

She sighed. She would have to look into it later.

She was so lost in thoughts as she made her way down, walking through the dining area, that she jumped slightly when someone grabbed her hand, and she looked down to see golden eyes staring at her, dark eyebrows raised high on her forehead.

“Where are you going?” Blake asked, amused.

With an apologetic smile, Yang squeezed her hand before sitting down beside her with a sigh, the faunus still observing her with a hint of worry in her eyes, but the blonde only shrugged.

“It’s just that I ran into Weiss, upstairs, and she was kinda freaked out. By the way, do you know what Ruby and Lucky were arguing about?”

One dark eyebrow twitched as Blake sat back in her chair, this time she was the one to sigh.

“Yes, she wanted to get on with our travel, but Lucky said it was better to rest. And, we also have to wait for Qrow, so…”

The blonde hummed, nodding a few times.

“Ruby…” the faunus paused, furrowing her brows, “was really upset. I don’t think I ever saw her like that.”

“Where’s Lucky?”

“I think he went to check on Pearl.”

Yang lowered her eyes, thoughtful again as a crinkle formed between her eyebrows, but before she could think about this further, Blake straightened her back, squeezing her hand.

“Hey,” she softly called, earning the blonde’s attention. “Let’s call my mom. See how everything is back home.”

A small smile managed to find its way on Yang’s lips, and as Blake pulled out her scroll, waiting for it to boot up, the blonde suddenly huffed, making the faunus arch an eyebrow questioningly.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if Dad had gained some weight, by now,” she chuckled. “Kali has a tendency to think everyone is starving at any given time.”

It made Blake laugh as she nodded, agreeing without an ounce of hesitation, and Yang smiled, the sound of her laugh calming the turmoil in her head a bit. Then, Blake tapped on the screen of her scroll, finding quickly her mother’s name and tapped on it, soon both waiting for Kali to answer. It took a few rings, but Blake’s mother answered still.

“Blake? Yang? I am _so_ glad you called. I’m going crazy, here.”

“Mom, what’s going on?” Blake instantly asked, straightening her back suddenly, her ears perking up on her head.

“Look.”

They could see Kali roll her eyes before she turned whatever device she was using, and they could see both Taiyang and Baxter covered in mud, standing sheepishly in the doorway, on the carpet. In the blond man’s hand, something that looked like a really big fish was hanging limply.

“It’s okay, Gramma, we’ll clean up,” Baxter was trying to be reassuring, extending a hand in front of him, effectively sending a splosh of mud on the floor. “But we caught a fish!”

“And bare-handed!” Tai insisted, brushing back a few wet strands of blonde hair from his face.

“Yeah!” The boy pointed proudly at the fish, a large smile on his lips, but when he looked back towards Kali, off-screen, and the silence that followed was enough of an answer as the boy nodded, setting his hands on his hips. “Not the point, I get it.”

“I’m pretty sure she’ll change her mind when we’re clean and her floor is all shiny,” the man said to Baxter in a low voice, and they both nodded decidedly before turning on their heels and going back outside.

They heard the deep sigh Kali made as the screen turned back to her, and her eyes were on Yang.

“I got the impression that your father was playful, at the wedding when I met him, but now… He’s basically Baxter’s best friend. When they’re not at the house and I can’t watch them, they are always off somewhere doing Gods knows what.”

It made both Blake and Yang chuckle, and they relaxed slightly.

“I’m glad they get along so well, even though I wasn’t really nervous about that.”

“Where’s Dad?” Blake asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

“He’s in town, managing the scouts and the guards. And also, keeping updated with everything, in the kingdoms.” Then, her expression darkened. “I know it’s a bit late, but I heard for Atlas.”

“Yeah,” Yang breathed, lowering her eyes. “The mansion was attacked, too.”

“Oh,” Kali let out, almost holding her breath. “Was there…”

“Her mother didn’t make it.”

“Oh, honey,” Blake’s mother sighed as she sat, her eyes cast down. “I’m so sorry…”

A silence settled then, and Yang’s knee started bouncing under the table. Blake didn’t let it linger longer.

“So, are you saying that there are no sightings of Grimm?”

“None, for the moment,” her mother nodded after clearing her throat. “Except the occasional Sea Dragon.”

“That’s good,” she breathed, nodding too.

“Are you girls alright?” Kali asked, her voice quiet. “You look like you lost some weight.”

Blake and Yang glanced at each other for a second, and it was Yang that sighed as she nodded.

“We, uh… We had a rough week,” she grimaced.

Under the table, Blake squeezed Yang’s hand again. Solid, reassuring. An anchor in this chaos.

“We just wanted to make sure everything was alright, back home,” Blake continued, smiling slightly.

Kali nodded as she sat in the kitchen, and her face softened as she kept a close attention to the screen, one of her ears flicking as they could hear very faintly Baxter laughing and shrieking, and Tai laughing.

“What is this war doing to you?” Blake’s mother softly said, concern taking over.

And again, Blake and Yang shared a glance, holding each other’s hand a bit closer and tighter.

“We just want this war to end, so we can go home,” Yang smiled, but even through the screen Kali could tell it was feeble.

How long will they have to wonder if they were all right? How long before they can all go back home? As they kept talking with Kali, soon joined by now cleaned Tai and Baxter, they still didn’t know the answer.

But sooner the better.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, i'm still not sure how many chapters is left with this work, but i'm guessing at least three or so.
> 
> So there's that! Thank you for reading!

She didn’t know how long they had to wait for Qrow, but the days passed by, bleeding into the other as they waited, trying to be productive in the meantime. Cleaning and doing a bit of maintenance on their weapons was always a good thing, and Weiss had hounded a couple of still open Dust shops; the village was big enough to have more than one. Ammunitions were refilled, too. In other words, they were ready to get back into action. Or so it seemed.

Ruby seemed even more distant as the days went on, barely talking, barely eating, but at night she would kiss Weiss, make love to her sometimes tenderly, sometimes a bit aggressively, every time holding Weiss’s hands to make sure she wouldn’t touch Ruby. Weiss could tell that Ruby’s already restless nights morphed into sleepless nights, as she would wake up sometimes in the middle of the night as she felt the space beside her cold and empty, and she would see the leader standing in front of the window, stark naked, as the moonlight would catch in silver eyes that stared at the faint and distant lights of the war that still raged on.

Blake and Yang had noticed, of course. If the eye bags under Ruby’s eyes weren’t telling in itself, her swift mood swings was enough for Yang to raise her eyebrows high on her forehead, and make Blake furrow her brows. And they also could see Weiss that kept following like her shadow, and as silently as one, and that seemed even odder to their eyes.

But they didn’t have time to address the issue. Airships kept flying in the sky, going towards the villages and towns that were under attack, and they could hear faintly the sound of guns and explosions, faintly, when the wind was in the right direction to carry the sound. And one night, as the team was eating their meal, they heard the low rumble, so familiar now, that was a military airship, and as they could watch it fly away, high up in the sky, it’s lights blinking slowly, they noticed a dark shadow, large enough to hide a portion of the stars as it moved, crashing into the airship.

Then they heard a high-pitched, sharp screech, and they were on their feet, already on their way outside.

A Nevermore.

They could see the airship trying evasive maneuvers as the guns were shooting, but the dark feathered beast in the night sky was almost invisible as the large Grimm kept clawing at the metallic frame, plowing into the airship’s sides until it hit one of the engine, and as the airship started falling, circling in the sky and leaving a trail of smoke in its wake, it finally shot down the Grimm, killing it as it let out one final screech.

But as it fell, the already so badly damaged airship lost its second engine, and was now falling with increasing speed towards the village team RWBY was staying at.

The few villagers that saw the fight realised it too. And in their panic as they made their way to escape the village, their shouts roused other villages, and the panic spread like wildfire as everyone trying to leave through the gates at the same time only managed to block the exit.

And as Weiss calculated the trajectory of the ship’s fall, she realised with consternation that it was near the villagers that were piling up at the gates. As she glanced over her shoulder to see the others expressions, she realised that they came to the same conclusion.

“The other way,” Ruby breathed, her eyes widening in horror. “They have to run the other way!”

And before they could say anything the leader ran towards the villagers, shouting from the top of her lungs that they had to run the other way, and soon Blake and Yang went to help her.

Weiss, on the other hand, only took a few steps closer, her eyes fixated on the falling ship, and after a quick glance towards the rest of her team, seeing that their efforts was going naught, she settled her eyes back on the ship, decided.

 

/////

 

“The other way!” she could hear Ruby’s voice breaking admits the panicked shouting. “You have to run the other way! The airship’s gonna fall on you!”

She could see Yang trying to reason with a few villages that finally got her attention, but as a feeling of helplessness rose inside of her, she took a few steps back, sliding both hands into her hair. And as she was about to drag Yang and Ruby, by force if necessary, away from the mass of people, she heard the soft chime of a glyph, as clearly as if it was cast right beside her.

Snapping her head to the side, she could see Weiss standing in the center of town, her eyes up and locked with the falling ship as a large glyph, larger than she had ever seen, spread in front of her, illuminating everything around her in a soft glow as her knight came from the ground. It stood tall in front of Weiss, his blade nowhere to be seen, and she could see Weiss squaring her shoulders as she took in a sharp breath.

“Bigger,” Blake heard the smaller woman say.

And the knight grew taller, bigger in front of her very eyes, and she could see Weiss panting already, but her feet were firmly planted, her hands closed into tight fists.

“Bigger,” she hissed again, and the knight followed her word.

It rose to new heights, taller than every building of the village, taller than the walls surrounding it, and as it kept growing it caught the attention of everyone as the village suddenly fell quiet, and Blake glanced over to see Ruby’s tear-streaked face staring with wide eyes at Weiss, and it only took a second for Yang to smile widely, cupping the side of her mouth as a voice-over.

“Yeah, Weiss! Catch that airship!”

Weiss, looking so small and frail at the foot of her knight, looked back at them with a smile, but they all could see how exhausted she was just by summoning her knight and making it so big, but she still returned her attention in front of her as the knight set a foot back, bracing for the impact.

And at the last second they could see that the airship was bigger than a normal one, for it was military, and the knight grew again in one last stretch as the airship was finally in reach.

The impact was more brutal than they expected, and as Weiss reeled, stumbling a bit on her feet, the knight was pushed back, its armored feet digging in the ground. Blake could see Weiss’s aura break then, as the smaller woman used everything she got and poured every ounce of energy to the knight as it finally stopped, setting a knee on the ground in a cloud of dust, and carefully set the airship down.

People all around her started rejoicing, cheering and whooping, but the only thing she could see was the knight dissolving almost instantly as Weiss fell down, face first. But before Blake could even start running, Ruby appeared beside her in a flurry of petals to catch her before she fell, and gently, carefully gathered her in her arms, but when she saw her face change, then brought her head to Weiss’s chest, she started running towards them, fear fueling her, hearing that Yang was close behind.

Ruby raised her head as they were coming closer, her expression haggard, and without being asked Blake leaned her head over Weiss’s chest, closing her eyes to concentrate.

And she sighed in relief, pulling back and petting the white head affectionately.

“She’s breathing and her heart is beating,” she smiled, noticing that Ruby and Yang closed their eyes at the same time in seemingly the same expression of relief. “She’s just exhausted.”

“What happened?” they heard Lucky suddenly appearing beside them, breathless as he stared at Weiss, his eyes filled with worry.

Yang wordlessly pointed at the airship that was smoking, and the villagers still cheering.

“There was a Nevermore,” Blake said, and that was it.

 

****

 

She woke up slowly, feeling her head pounding in her ears already, and when she tried opening her eyes, the light felt like a stab in her brain, and so she kept her eyes closed, groaning.

“You’re awake?”

She recognised the smooth voice of Blake, and she could feel the faunus’s hand on her thigh, its weight reassuring.

“I feel barely alive,” she grumbled, scowling. “Could you close the curtains? I feel like my head is about to explode.”

She heard Blake chuckling quietly as a chair was scraping, and she heard her footsteps going to her right, then the sharp scrape of the curtains as Blake pulled them closed. Taking a chance again, she creaked an eye open, seeing the faunus walk back to the chair she occupied earlier, her book forgotten by Weiss’s side.

“How are you feeling?” Blake gently asked, resettling her hand over Weiss’s thigh, over the covers.

“Not good,” she grimaced, shifting slightly. “I feel like my head is about to split open, and the light hurts. I feel like a truck has been rolling back and forth over me.”

“Have you been partying, Miss Schnee? That sounds like a hangover,” the faunus chuckled teasingly, giving a slight squeeze before reaching for her book, flicking it open easily.

Sighing, Weiss closed her eye again, shifting and grunting as she felt every muscle in her body tensing up, sore.

“I wish,” she mumbled then. “After everything that’s happening, I would want the evasion.”

Sighing again, she opened her eyes, glancing quickly around before realising that they were alone in the room, and her eyes shut again.

“Where’s Ruby?”

“Elsewhere,” Blake answered simply with the flick of a page. “She’s been glued by your side, waiting for you to wake up. I swear, it felt more like she was guarding you than watching over you. So Yang dragged her out for a hunt, to change her mind a bit.”

She hummed quietly, nodding, and a silence fell on them, the silence only disrupted by the quiet sounds of pages being turned, or Blake’s chair creaking as she shifted, and she could feel herself dozing off, lulled by the faunus’s presence, and the quiet turns of pages.

“Are you asleep?”

Even though Blake had murmured her question, keeping her voice so low to not disturb her if she was asleep, Weiss jolted awake with a sharp intake of air, blinking a few times, and she turned her eyes to Blake as the faunus rested a light hand on her arm, grimacing.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” she smiled slightly, her dark eyebrows drawn together.

Weiss cleared her throat, reaching up to rub a hand over her face and was glad to realise that her head wasn’t pounding anymore, but she still felt sore, as she discovered when she sat up. Blake was quick to gather the pillows behind her back so she could lean on it and she did, rolling her shoulders a bit.

“It’s fine. I feel better already,” she shrugged, and Blake squeezed her arm in silent apology.

Glancing around, she realised that they were in the room that she and Ruby shared, and also that the sun had moved, considerably, since the last time she was awake.

“But yes, I’m awake.”

Blake huffed, a smile curling her lips as she gently smacked her knee with her book.

It made her chuckle as she stretched her arms over her head, wiggling her fingers with a grunt, then rolled her head a few times, getting rid of a few kinks in her back until she met serious golden eyes that stared at her, and she stopped.

“What?” Weiss asked, furrowing her brows a bit.

“I have a question to ask,” Blake let out, closing her book on her finger.

“Ask away,” she only said, raising her eyebrows high.

The faunus took the time to wet her lips as she sat back in her chair, seemingly studying Weiss closely.

“Are you…” she paused, pressing her lips together shortly. “Are you and Ruby okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

The answer was too quick. Weiss knew that, and knew that Blake knew too, when she saw golden eyes narrow slightly. And the faunus looked down only to fold the corner of the page she was at, before setting it on the nightstand and pulled her chair closer, crossing her leg over her knee to lean her elbows on it.

“What’s going on?”

“I told you we were fine,” Weiss protested, averting her eyes.

“And you lied. Twice,” Blake added, bowing her head slightly. “What’s going on? You two have been acting weird for a while, but I thought that if it were serious you would come to me, or to Yang, but…”

The faunus let out a long breath as she angled her head to try and lock her eyes with Weiss’s, but the smaller woman kept avoiding her gaze.

“Ruby and Yang aren’t even in the building, we’re alone, so... Talk to me, Weiss. I don’t know what’s going on, but by the look on your face, you’re not happy about it either.”

Feeling a scowl forming on her face, Weiss looked away, towards the window, now regretting asking Blake to close the curtains earlier as she could feel her hands tremble slightly.

“I’m not going to talk about my sexual life with you,” she grumbled, keeping her attention towards the curtains.

“Oh, so it’s sex that’s troubling you,” Blake perked up, not letting this bit of information slipping away.

“Are you telling me it’s not bothering you to talk about this? And no it’s not,” she added quickly, blushing.

“Weiss,” the faunus raised a single eyebrow. “I talked about sex with my _parents_. I can talk about sex with you.”

The smaller woman pressed her lips together, staring stubbornly at the curtains as she could feel the weight of Blake’s stare on her, but as she thought about everything that Ruby and her were now, she felt her guard melt down, slowly giving in to Blake, that was only waiting patiently for her. The faunus knew it was better to give her time.

Finally abandoning the fight, Weiss looked down on her hands as she toyed with her fingers, wetting her lips as she pointedly avoided Blake’s gaze.

“I don’t know if we are alright,” she finally admitted, her voice quiet.

“How can you not know?” the faunus frowned, attentive.

“I…” Weiss sighed then, throwing a hand in the air, helplessly. “I thought Ruby would come around, but with each passing days, I feel like she keeps pushing me away. Pushing us away. And now, she barely talks to me. She doesn’t let me touch her. I could sleep somewhere else and I wonder if she’ll even notice. Well, except if she wants to have sex, now she’ll notice I’m not there,” she finished in a humorless chuckle.

She pulled on her fingers, hearing one of them crack in the sudden silence as Blake kept studying her, her dark eyebrows furrowed.

“So she barely talks to you, and seemingly ignores you. She doesn’t let you touch her, but you’re still having sex with her?” the faunus resumed, crossing her fingers together over her knee.

Weiss only nodded, chewing the inside of her cheek as she kept playing with her fingers.

“I know how it sounds,” she huffed, a bitter smile on her lips. “I know it’s less than ideal.”

“Weiss, I’m going to ask you something and I want you to be honest,” Blake said, her serious tone making Weiss look up at her. “Did you want to have sex with her at those times?”

“How is that relevant to the conversation?” she grumbled, lowering her eyes again with a scowl.

“It is really important. Now please, be honest.”

It took a moment again for Weiss to answer, now pulling on her fingers one after the other until it cracked before answering with a slight shrug of one shoulder.

“Most of the time, yes,” she mumbled.

Blake sighed, reaching over to get a hold of one of Weiss’s hands before she could pluck one of her fingers off, and gently ran a thumb over her knuckles.

“Did you ever say no?”

Weiss answered with a slight shake of her head, her free hand now toying with the loose threads of the covers.

“Why?”

“Because I can’t,” she whispered, swallowing thickly.

“Weiss, you can say-”

“It’s not like that, I know I can say no,” she reassured quickly, squeezing the faunus’s hand. “It’s just… It’s the only time when I feel close to her. Sometimes… sometimes there’s so much pain in her, and I can feel it. I can feel that she’s afraid, too. But if I can be some sort of relief, then-”

“No.”

The force behind that single word made Weiss blink, and she looked up, almost not feeling the sudden death grip of Blake on her hand as the faunus’s features were hard, her ears pulled back slightly.

“Don’t go down this path, Weiss,” the faunus almost growled. “You are a person with feelings, not something Ruby can stick her fingers in whenever she pleases. Because if you start thinking this way, if you accept to be treated this way because you think you can sooth her pain, then what’s next?”

Blake sighed, seemingly trying to calm herself before she continued, wetting her lips.

“This is already hurting you, Weiss,” the faunus insisted, her voice softer now. “I’ve been down this path, and I don’t want you to go there, too. You deserve better.”

“Ruby is not Adam, Blake,” Weiss countered, maybe a bit harsher than she meant.

But Blake smiled, grimacing a bit.

“Once upon a time Adam was my best friend, and he was loving, too. People change, Weiss. Even more in a war. Look, I’m not trying to scare you, I just… You two desperately need to talk. Communication is the key to any relationship,” she insisted, locking her eyes with Weiss’s. “You need to tell her you’re not comfortable in this. You need to tell her how you feel. She can’t keep disregarding you like this, Weiss. It’s only going to hurt more if this goes on.”

She stared at Blake for a moment, processing her words and she lowered her eyes on her finally still hand, laying on the covers, and as she opened her mouth to say something the door flew open, and a dust-covered Lucky appeared stumbling in the room, holding his hat on his head.

“Where’s Red?” he asked, breathless, as he glanced around the room. “There’s a video call for her. From the General.”

 

****

 

“What do you mean ‘I should have stayed put’?” Ruby growled, curling her hands into tight fists as she glared at the General.

Ruby and Yang were back from their hunt not so long ago, and Ruby was already upset that she couldn’t kill anything, for the hunt had been fruitless, and now this?

“As the leader of your team, you are responsible for the actions of your teammates,” the General flatly let out. “The flashy thing you used to stop the falling airship was visible for a great distance. Salem knows we are unto her, now. She saw it, and now she pulled her forces from the nearby towns and villages, and she’s gathering them close to where you are. Salem is going to wipe it out, because of you.”

“But we saved the civilians!” Ruby roared, her face twisting in anger, and she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She jerked away, glaring at Lucky that wordlessly let his hand fall back to his side.

“And now you are going to have to save them _again_ ,” the General said, irritated. “Ozpin has been trying to contact every Hunters in the vicinity to go help you, but at the rate Salem is gathering her Grimm… I fear it won’t be enough. And so,” the man paused, leaning over as he narrowed his eyes, “this is on you.”

Before Ruby could say something the screen turned black, signaling that the General had hung up, and the leader stepped forward with the very clear intention of destroying the console until she felt the cold, hard grip of Yang’s prosthetic hand on her arm as her sister dragged her out of the communication building.

“You really need to calm down,” Yang only let out as she finally let her go, and Ruby glared at her, but the blonde didn’t seem impressed by it.

“I will calm down when I want to,” the leader hissed at her, before turning on her heels and making her way to the inn, making her cloak flap in the way.

Blake and Yang shared a glance, the blonde sighing deeply, but Weiss only followed her partner silently, and after another glance, they followed.

“I’ll go ahead and do a bit of scouting,” Lucky grumbled quickly before hastily going towards the gates.

This tension within the team was unbearable, even for him.

“I can’t believe it,” Ruby was still spitting as she marched on, a dark look in her eyes. “I can’t believe he said we had to stay put. What an asshole.”

“Ruby,” Weiss said quietly, but the leader didn’t even slow down. “It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have done that, because now I have endangered the same villagers I saved. I understand I was in the wrong, the General isn’t-”

Ruby stopped and turned around so suddenly that Weiss stopped, and the look in her eyes was so dark and furious that she stepped back, barely noticing that Yang bumped into her.

“Listen to me,” the leader growled as she grabbed her arm, squeezing tightly. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You saved the civilians. It’s our job, and you did nothing wrong. I won’t let anyone say otherwise, not even you. Am I clear?”

“Ruby, you’re… You’re hurting me.”

The hold she had on Weiss’s arm was tight, her fingers digging painfully in Weiss’s skin, and as soon as Weiss spoke, the quiet, trembling voice reaching the turmoil in her brain, she immediately let go. She took a step back, her anger melting instantly when she saw the look in Weiss’s eyes as she slowly reached where Ruby had squeezed her arm, rubbing a bit, and Yang’s arm slowly, protectively wrapping around Weiss’s waist.

The leader looked down at her hand, seeing it tremble as her breath caught in her throat, and when she looked up again, her eyes were filled with tears.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

And she spun on her heels, disappearing in a flurry of petals, the red petals falling slowly and leading out towards the gates. Before any of them could say something, Blake gritted her teeth, her ears flat on her head, and she started after Ruby.

Weiss was staring at the petals absently, rubbing her arm as she still could feel the iron grip of her partner, and it took her a moment to realise that Yang was talking to her.

“Hey? You there?” the blonde was saying, gently squeezing her shoulder.

She only nodded, not trusting her voice as Yang carefully turned her around so she could face her, and rested her hands on her shoulders, squeezing lightly with a sigh.

“Are you okay?”

Nodding again, Weiss didn’t move, only crossing her arms defensively as the blonde gently petted her head, her touch soft and light as she leaned over to kiss the top of her head.

“I don’t know if I want to be alone or if I want company,” she said quietly, still rubbing at her arm, wishing for the ache there to just disappear.

“So what if I’m with you but I don’t say anything?” Yang proposed. “That’s, like, the two combined.”

Rolling her eyes, Weiss didn’t have the heart to say otherwise and only started inside the inn where they were staying, and when the blonde went towards a corner of the room, she reluctantly followed, wondering where Yang was going, but only found herself in front of a small room, a window taking most of one of the walls, and a single, lone rocking chair right beside the window.

“Trust Blake to find the quietest place in a building,” Yang chuckled as she sat in the chair, rocking back and forth a few times with a smile before patting her lap. “Come on, sit down.”

Weiss blinked a few before raising her eyes to the sky.

“I’ll pass,” she said with a sigh, and was about to turn back on her heels.

“Wait! Just try it! Blake loves it! Besides, has anyone ever rocked you before?”

“No,” she answered after a moment, dropping the word like she was forced to.

“Then you can’t say you don’t like it if you’ve never tried. Come on! It’s really nice!”

When Weiss didn’t move, only arching a single eyebrow at her, Yang sighed then, sitting back in the chair.

“Fine. You know I love to hold you, you’re so tiny, and right now I just want to wrap you in a blanket and rock you for a bit. So if you don’t want the blanket, let me at least do this for you.”

The blonde made puppy eyes at her in her best imitation of Ruby, and she couldn’t help but huff, remembering simpler times, before the war. How Ruby would make this face for every single reason. She grimaced a bit.

“Fine,” she finally conceded, stepping closer. “But don’t tell anyone.”

“Aw, not even Blake?” Yang pouted, sitting back as Weiss sat on her lap.

“Especially not Blake. She’s going to be jealous that she’s sharing her wife’s lap.”

Yang laughed as Weiss curled up against the blonde, holding her knees to her chest and tucking her head in the crook of Yang’s shoulder, and towards the window so she could look outside. The blonde looped an arm around her, her prosthetic solid behind her back, and Yang’s left hand was wrapped around her ankle, her thumb gently rubbing.

And Weiss let Yang rock her gently. True to her words, the blonde didn’t say anything, only holding her close and rocking them as they both looked outside, and she had to admit that Yang was right. This was nice. Very nice, actually.

As time went on, there was no sign of either Blake or Ruby, but they could see, outside, the frantic energy of the villagers gathering family and belongings as an alert had been sent throughout the village, warning them of the imminent attack and encouraging them to leave immediately. Most of them were already packing, if not gone. Some, on the other hand, didn’t want to leave the place that had seen them grow, and would try and barricade their houses, even though it could be in vain.

The sun was falling quickly, and as the shadows were growing, Blake came back through the gates, having to let a wagon full of people pass before she appeared.

Alone.

 

****

 

It was in the middle of the night that the door to Ruby’s and Weiss’s shared room opened, and even though it was opened slowly and silently, her eyes snapped open, and she heard the floorboards creak under someone’s feet, and she felt the bed dip a bit.

When she looked over her shoulder discreetly, she saw Ruby sitting on the edge of the mattress, her elbows on her knees and her hands dangling between them, hunched over as her head was hung low, and the leader let out a long, deep sigh. She stayed there for a long moment, as still as a statue, until, without any sign telling her that she was about to look over her shoulder, Ruby glanced at her, then froze when their eyes met.

As if she was caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to, Ruby scurried to her feet and put some distance between her and the bed, between her and Weiss, and even in the darkness of the room Weiss could tell that Ruby had cried, that her eyes kept glancing at everything besides her, and she could tell how her hands curled up and relaxed at her sides.

“Weiss, I-”

“Ruby,” Weiss interrupted, sitting up. “I’m really not in the mood to hear you talk. We have a big day tomorrow. I’ll leave you the bed, and I’m going to bunk with Blake and Yang.”

“But-” the leader mumbled, taken aback.

“I can put up with a lot of things if it’s for you, Ruby,” Weiss interrupted again, a bit harshly as she stood. “I’ve been doing it for a while, already. But you, hurting me?”

“I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!” Ruby’s voice was trembling, but she wisely didn’t try to step closer. “I’m sorry, Weiss, I never meant to hurt you, just, please, _please_ -”

Stumbling over her own words, the leader paused for a moment, closing her eyes and visibly tried to calm down, swallowing thickly and willing a deep breath out, but before she could talk again, Weiss was already making her way to the door, and with her hand on the doorknob, she stopped, looking over at Ruby.

“It’s late,” she said, her voice softer than before, but it caught Ruby’s attention right away. “You need some rest. We will talk tomorrow.”

The leader seemed to deflate at Weiss’s dismissal, and she kind of felt bad for doing this, but… it really was late. And she wanted to have this talk with enough rest to last through it. Same for Ruby.

“Alright?” she insisted, quiet.

“Okay,” Ruby finally nodded, keeping her gaze low. “Goodnight, Weiss.”

“Goodnight, Ruby.”

As she was closing the door behind her, she could see the leader look to the side, towards the bed, and her shoulders slouched a bit as she sighed. Weiss took a moment after closing the door, taking in a sharp breath before making her way to the next door, and knocked three times, leaning her forehead on the doorframe.

The door opened after a moment, opening by barely an inch, and in the darkness there was the glowing golden of Blake’s eye.

“What?” she heard the faunus ask tiredly.

“Can I bunk with you?”

“Weiss, it’s three in the morning.”

“I know. But Ruby just came back, and I… didn’t want to sleep with her.”

There was a moment of silence before the door opened wider, and Blake’s face appeared in the dim light, her features pulled and sharp.

“Did she tried-”

“No,” she interrupted, raising her eyes to the sky. “Blake, this is Ruby. God. She wanted to talk but, I mean… it’s the middle of the night. I told her we would talk tomorrow.”

The faunus narrowed her eyes slightly but still stepped aside and let Weiss in, the smaller woman directly going to the bed, climbing on and already slipping under the covers by the time Blake made it back to the bed. And as Weiss was about to cuddle Yang, oblivious in her sleep as she snored away, the faunus pressed behind her back, looping an arm around her waist and burying her nose in white locks.

She smiled, wondering how easy it was to forget that, even with everything she said, Blake could be as protective as Yang. But maybe it was something that Blake had taken on after being close to Yang for so long.

It didn’t took long for Blake to fall back to sleep, her breath tickling the hair on her neck, and Weiss couldn’t shake the strange feeling settling in her chest. It was only a couple of days that Ruby was acting strange, but Blake cuddling her like this, like she would with Ruby, was as foreign as it was familiar.

And as Blake’s breath only deepened, she wondered if she would get any sleep, that night.


	9. Chapter 9

She grunted quietly, feeling her arm numb and hair on her face. But it wasn’t the usual heavy mass of Yang’s, it was… lighter, somehow. And didn’t smell like Yang at all.

She opened her eyes slowly, and in the early morning light coming from the window, she could see impossibly long white hair spilled everywhere, and she remembered at that moment that Weiss had bunked with them, in the middle of the night.

With a sigh, she carefully pulled her numb arm from under Weiss’s head, the smaller woman sleeping soundly, curled up between her and Yang, and she got out of bed, stretching for a second. Looking back at the bed, seeing Weiss curl up even more at Blake’s warmth suddenly gone and a scowl forming on her face, she chuckled, Yang’s next snore thankfully covering it.

She glanced out the window, seeing that the sun was rising, painting the sky in various colors, she nodded, knowing that she could come back to bed after her quick visit to the bathroom. And so, she made her way to the connected bathroom, rubbing a hand on the back of her neck, massaging a little, when her ears perked on top of her head as she passed the door of the room, and she stopped right then, listening.

She could hear floorboards creaking rhythmically, in the hallway near the door. Glancing over at the bed, seeing the other two sleeping soundly, she carefully opened the door, and quickly glanced in the hallway. Only to pause, her eyebrows rising so high on her forehead she was sure it reached her hairline.

Ruby was sitting right beside the door, her back against the wall and her knees pulled to her chest as she had wrapped her arms around them, and she kept rocking back and forth, the movement making the floorboards creak. Blake crouched beside her, but Ruby’s face was partially hidden behind her bangs, and her eyes were staring at nothing, the eye bags under her eyes a deep shade of purple, now.

“Ruby?” the faunus tried to catch her attention, tilting her head.

The leader stilled, the constant creaking finally stopping as the leader looked up, and Blake wondered for a second if Ruby really saw her.

“I’m sorry,” Ruby only let out before returning to her initial position. “I can’t sleep without her.”

The faunus sighed then, rubbing a hand over her face. She truly wasn’t awake enough to deal with this.

“Ruby-”

“And now she hates me,” Ruby continued, her voice growing quiet as her head lowered, hunching over.

“I hope you realise that you’re lucky it’s just me,” Blake sighed, giving in and sitting down in front of Ruby after silently closing the door behind her.

“Yes,” the younger woman huffed, a feeble and small smile on her lips. “Yang would kick my ass.”

But her smile was quick to disappear as she started rocking again, keeping her gaze low as she stared at nothing, shaking her head slightly.

“I never meant to hurt Weiss, Blake,” Ruby said quietly, her voice tight and trembling. “I didn’t…”

She brought her hands in her hair, lacing her fingers behind her head as she leaned her forehead on her kneecaps, never stopping rocking as she sniffled quietly, and Blake looked over her, concerned.

“Ruby, you really need to rest,” she gently told her. “Take as long as you need.”

“Can you make the dreams go so I can sleep?” the leader asked bitterly, rocking a bit faster.

“The dreams? What dreams?”

“Dreams of people dying,” Ruby murmured as she stilled, letting out a short, trembling breath. “Dreams of villages burning. Grimm, everywhere. And me, always too late. There’s so much blood, Blake…”

“Ruby…” Blake breathed.

Many times in her life Blake had felt helpless and powerless. But right now, as Ruby quietly sobbed, she couldn’t remember a time when she had been this much at a loss of words, of what to do.

“I just want to sleep, Blake,” the younger woman managed between sobs, never looking up. “I know I’m exhausted, I know I need it, but the _dreams_ , I can’t take it anymore.”

The faunus reached over, wanting to pull Ruby in her arms, but as soon as her hands touched her, Ruby straightened her head, jerking away like a scared animal would before curling up on herself again, a few inches away.

“Don’t touch me.”

“But why?” Blake asked, dumbfounded. “Does it hurt? What’s going on?”

“Can’t you see?” Ruby chuckled humorlessly, motioning at herself with one hand. “I’m covered in blood. _Their_ blood. No matter how hard I scrub it, no matter how hard I scratch my skin, it’s always there.”

“Who’s blood?”

“The ones I couldn’t save! The ones I was too late to even fight for, the ones I-”

She interrupted herself, biting her lip with a whine as she started to rock again, lowering her head, while Blake just stared at her, blinking.

“Is that why you don’t let Weiss touch you?” she asked gently, angling her head so she could look at Ruby. “Is that why you don’t let anyone touch you?”

Ruby nodded with a sigh, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back against the wall, knocking it with a flat thump.

“Then why the sex?”

The leader huffed then, opening her eyes to look at Blake for the first time, never minding that her cheeks were wet with tears.

“She told you?” she asked, her voice low and even.

“I had to force her hand a bit, but yes,” the faunus conceded, bowing her head slightly.

The younger woman nodded as she took a sharp breath, wiping her cheeks and her eyes as she swallowed thickly, and it took a moment for her to answer.

“I love Weiss,” she finally said, her voice strangled, and she cleared her throat again. “I still want her to feel good, and I want her to know that I love her. And, in those moments with Weiss, it keeps my mind away, from everything. My focus is on Weiss, and her only.”

“It didn’t really send the message you were hoping for, I’m afraid.”

And Ruby’s face scrunched up, tears welling up in her eyes as she clenched and unclenched her jaw a couple of times, and Blake could tell that Ruby was willing herself not to cry again.

“If you really see yourself like that,” the faunus started after a moment, noting Ruby’s attention as the younger woman took a sharp breath, trying to blink the tears away. “I mean, how can you touch her, if you don’t want her to touch you?”

“Because it’s Weiss,” the leader huffed, as if it was a reason alone, but when she saw the raised eyebrows of Blake she sighed, looking to the side for a few seconds. “Weiss is… So bright. She’s my light in the darkness. Something I will always go back to, no matter how far I am. And I can touch her, because when I reach for her, her light cleans the blood on my hands, on me, for just a moment. For me to touch her.”

“God, Ruby,” the faunus sighed after a silence, running a hand in her hair.

Ruby chuckled then, humorlessly, bitterly, the sound of it dry in Blake’s ears as Ruby leaned her head on her knees again, hiding her face.

 “I’m not well, Blake,” she resumed, her voice sounding so tired, now. “I know you’re thinking it. Something… snapped inside me, at the settlement, and I know I’m not getting better, and… I’m not sure I can survive this war.”

“Don’t say that,” the faunus said hardly, feeling her hands curl up into tight fists.

But Ruby only shrugged, and she heard the quiet scoff, doubtful, that accompanied it, and Blake had to resist the urge of touching her as she shifted closer, wetting her lips quickly as she looked over her.

“Ruby,” she called quietly, waiting for the younger woman to shift her head to look at her. “There’s no blood on you. It’s not real. And, now that I know what’s going on with you, I can understand, but that doesn’t excuse anything. You have been hurting Weiss, even though it was unintentional.”

She saw the leader close her eyes but she nodded wordlessly, and Blake shifted closer again, just a bit.

“You have to talk to her,” she gently insisted.

“Okay,” Ruby nodded again, her voice quiet.

“But first you need to rest,” she kept her voice soft and gentle, reaching a hand up to squeeze her arm but remembering at the last second that Ruby didn’t want to be touched, and she let her hand fall on her lap, curled into a fist.

“But I can’t, Blake,” the leader whined, burying her face in her arms.

“Do you absolutely need Weiss, or just a presence?”

A single sniffle coming from the depths of Ruby’s form was heard after a moment.

“I don’t know,” she finally answered.

“Then let’s try it out,” Blake offered, angling her head to try and look at Ruby’s face. “I was going back to bed anyway. Alright?”

The younger woman was silent for a moment, seemingly pondering the faunus’s words, until she only nodded with a sigh, and she moved to stand along with Blake, the faunus guiding her to the next room, but making a quick detour by the bathroom for Ruby to wash her face. And drink a bit.

When she finally got in bed after her own business in the bathroom, Ruby was already curled up on her side, under the covers, her eyes half-closed and already so far away, and Blake looked at her before staring at the ceiling, pressing her lips together for a second.

“Ruby?”

A quiet hum answered her, tired.

“Promise me that when this is over, when we go back home… You’re going to see someone. A therapist or, I don’t know. Someone. What you told me… a healthy mind doesn’t go there.”

“I know,” was the tired answer of Ruby as she closed her eyes. “I promise I will. I can take three if you want. I just want the dreams to stop.”

The faunus looked to the side, at Ruby again, as the younger woman let out a deep sigh, hiding her face a bit more under the covers.

“Maybe a good night of sleep will help,” Blake whispered, again resisting the urge to reach over to take her hand.

A hum answered her again as Ruby shifted, just a bit closer, just enough to feel the warmth of Blake without touching her, and as she let out a shuddering breath, Blake felt as helpless and powerless as before, and her throat tightened suddenly.

“I love you, Rubes,” she said softly, hoping that her friend would hear.

And Ruby heard, smiling weakly as she took a breath in.

“I love you too.”

 

****

 

She woke up a couple of hours later when the quiet noise of the doorknob being turned was heard in the silence of the room, and she looked over, seeing a blonde head poke inside, but before Yang could say anything, she brought a finger to her lips, ordering her to stay silent.

She looked back at Ruby, seeing that she hadn’t move a single inch in her sleep, which was weird. Ruby was a fitful sleeper, rolling and kicking, but as she saw the eye bags under Ruby’s eyes in the light, she understood that the leader must have been so exhausted that she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Delicately tucking the blanket around Ruby, then carefully getting out of bed, Blake tip toed out of the room and closed the door soundlessly as Yang was sighing.

“Imagine my surprise when I was about to wake my wife with my morning squeeze, and instead, all I got was Weiss is hissing that she wasn’t you.”

“Poor Weiss,” the faunus grimaced. “Where is she?”

“In bed, grumbling and plotting of murdering me if I ever do this again.”

Blake couldn’t help but chuckle at her wife’s possible demise as she stepped closer and pressed against Yang, her solidity and her warmth reassuring as she closed her eyes, looping her arms around the blonde’s waist. Yang kissed the top of her head, right between her ears, and nuzzled the scarred one, leaving kisses along its length softly.

“What’s going on?” the blonde murmured in her hair, always so sensible to her moods.

The faunus sighed deeply, burying her face in the blonde’s neck, breathing in her scent.

“Ruby… talked to me, earlier this morning. I found her sitting almost in the doorway of our room.”

“What was she doing there?” Yang asked, surprised.

“She said she couldn’t sleep without Weiss. But, Yang…” she sighed, pausing for a second as she remembered how miserable their leader this morning. “I’m really worried about Ruby.”

And the blonde sighed deeply, holding Blake a bit tighter against her.

“I am, too.”

“How about we switch? I go sleep with Weiss, and you sleep with Ruby. That way, Weiss won’t kill you for your wandering hands.”

“I didn’t know she was there!” the blonde defended herself with a roll of her eyes, but still kissed Blake’s forehead. “But okay. I’ll leave the princess to you.”

“Okay,” Blake nodded, pecking the blonde’s lips quickly and trying to ignore the pout Yang made as the kiss didn’t linger. “Just, don’t touch Ruby, but stay with her. And whatever you do, let her sleep. She needs it.”

 

****

 

The sun was up for a while now, as it was nearly lunch, but she ignored the low grumble in her stomach, closing her eyes again. Yang was lying on her back, with her left hand under her head, and her prosthetic hand rested on her stomach, relaxed and peaceful, listening to Ruby’s breathing. She didn’t know what Ruby had told Blake, but for the faunus to look like that…

She sighed deeply, furrowing her brows. Weiss had been strange and silent the day before, even after Blake had come back empty handed from her search for Ruby. For the most part, Weiss had been thoughtful, completely lost in her thoughts and unaware of what happened around her. Blake, on the other hand, had been furious after she came back, but as time went on she calmed down, her, too, lost in thoughts, gravitating around Weiss.

Yang had given them time. She figured they all needed it. Her hunt with Ruby hadn’t been all that fruitless, well, for her part. It was more an excuse for the two of them to talk a bit.

She turned her head to the side, looking at Ruby as she slept.

Ruby… looked terrible.

She looked like she hadn’t slept in days. She had lost weight after the war started, they all did, but Ruby… as she looked down to her sister’s hands, she found her nails jagged, the skin around them red, some even had the remnant of blood as she could see the skin had been scratched too hard. And even if she slept, Yang could feel that her body was tense even without touching.

She wondered if the joyous, cheery Ruby was still there, somewhere, under all this stress, this anger and guilt. Ruby always had the tendency to carry too much on her shoulders, but this time, she really outdid herself.

Yang shifted to lie on her side to face Ruby. She could understand the helplessness. Feeling powerless in this unforgiving war. And she understood too, that Ruby, like she had told her one day, wasn’t meant for war. She understood how it got into her head like it did.

Blake had already seen how horrible the world could be with the White Fang. Not that she was used to it, but she knew. She was better equipped for it. Weiss was strong, knowing when to get involved and when not too, and from where she came from, she knew more than anyone how to deal with this. Of course, this war was hard on everyone. They changed already because of it, and they would continue to. But Ruby was soft. Always searching for a logical reason for bad things to happen, and never accepting that sometimes, bad things just happened because bad people, plain bad, existed.

She sighed again. It was the understatement of the year to say that Yang was scared for her baby sister.

A lock of dark hair fell on Ruby’s face, and she had to resist the urge of brushing it back. She had to resist the urge to lean over and kiss her forehead like she used to. Had to resist the need of wrapping Ruby in her arms to hold her until she felt better. But she couldn’t.

She gritted her teeth, feeling her eyes well up but she rubbed them with a sharp intake of air. Now was not the time to cry.

She heard the quiet catch of Ruby’s breath, and she looked up, seeing her dark eyebrows furrowing deeply, and soon after Ruby’s eyes opened wide as she gasped quietly. But she didn’t jump. There was no evidence of her waking up, besides the gasp, and as Yang was about to say something, Ruby staring at her but it was clear she wasn’t seeing her, the leader slowly rolled over, before sitting on the edge of the mattress, as silent as a mouse.

Yang carefully sat up as Ruby rubbed her face with both hands, seemingly shaking the last of her dream away as she sighed, leaning her elbows on her knees.

“Hey,” Yang gently let out, tilting her head. “You okay?”

Ruby glanced over her shoulder, locking her eyes for a second with her sister before briefly nodding, then she stood, staring out the window to get an idea of the time, and she went towards the bathroom.

“Where are the others?” she asked, her voice even.

“As far as I know, Blake is with Weiss,” the blonde answered as she stood too.

The younger sister nodded as she stopped to take her hunting gear, smoothing her cloak a bit.

“More Hunters are going to arrive today,” Ruby let out, and Yang knew that she was dealing with The Leader. “We have to prepare. Go get the others, I have to talk to Lucky.”

“He said yesterday that he went out scouting,” the blonde countered, and Ruby stopped as she was about to disappear in the bathroom. “I don’t know if he’s back.”

Silver eyes lowered for a second, but Ruby only nodded, then closed the door behind her.

Yang let out a long breath as she made her way out of the room.

At least, Ruby had enough sleep to be the leader they needed.

 

****

 

Some Hunters had arrived through the night, claiming the many empty houses as some of the few villagers left were still leaving, and all through the day more arrived, on foot or by airship and soon, the village was busy with Huntsman and Huntresses. The couple of military men that had survived the crash of the airship had made the most of their time there: with the help of a couple of Hunters, they had used the metal of the fallen airship to reinforce the gates and a portion of the walls surrounding it.

All around the village there were cheers of Hunters reunited after so long, and the cries following the news of someone they knew that died. Team RWBY found out with relief that team JNR would be with them for the fight, and the two teams shared news, wondering how everybody was doing while Ruby searched throughout the village to find Lucky.

She finally found him talking with a group of Hunters, seemingly older and more experienced, and Lucky looked like he just got back from his night out in the woods. He must have seen her approached because he glanced at her before clapping one of the Hunters’ shoulder, and the group walked away as he turned to her. Ruby stopped a few paces from him, glancing around at the buzzing activity, and he closed the distance to stand beside her.

“Are you feeling better than yesterday?” he asked, eyeing her quickly.

Ruby glanced down for a second, clenching her fists before relaxing them.

“I’m sorry about that,” she quietly let out, keeping her gaze low.

He stared at her for a moment, observing her, but he bowed his head slightly, silently accepting her apology, and she took in a sharp breath, looking up decidedly.

“How was the scouting?”

Lucky raised his eyebrows, but a slight twitch of his mustache told her that he was glad she seemed more eager than the day before.

“Didn’t really go well,” he shrugged slightly with a sigh as he slowly walked back to the inn they were staying, Ruby following beside him. “Pearl started to panic all of a sudden. I wanted to go alone, but she wouldn’t let me.”

He sighed as he tugged slightly at the side of his mustache, and he looked up, seeing in the distance the rest of the team with team JNR.

“Friends of yours?” the tracker asked, pointing at them.

Ruby followed his line of sight, and a smile curled the corners of her lips.

“Yeah,” she huffed. “I’m glad they are okay.”

The man hummed beside her, observing them for a moment before he returned his eyes to her.

“I don’t know how many they are, but if Pearl freaked out like this…” he trailed off, returning his gaze on the team, his expression serious as he rested his hands on the stock of his guns.

“It’s not a good sign,” she finished for him.

She looked up at the sky, so blue and cloudless despite the dire situation, and for a moment they walked in silence through the busy village, avoiding people rushing by, until she noticed Lucky slightly turning towards her, and he nervously reached up to touch the brim of his hat.

“Red,” he called, and it caught Ruby’s attention right away. “Um… Can I… talk to you, for a minute?”

“Isn’t it what we’re already doing?”

“I meant in private.”

Ruby only blinked, soon followed by a shrug.

“Sure.”

And they changed path, going to the outskirts of the village instead of the center of it, and they soon found themselves somewhat alone, at the foot of one of the few trees inside the walls of the village, and Ruby was utterly surprised when Lucky took off his hat and brought it to his chest. The team had come to discover that, for him, this gesture was a way to tell them he was completely honest and open with them, and they could count on one hand the times they saw him do this.

The tracker seemed hesitant, tapping his hat against his chest repeatedly as he wetted his lips as he seemed to be searching for the right words.

“I’m not good with speeches and pretty words,” he started, and Ruby instantly furrowed her brows, “but I’ll do my best.”

He paused then, swallowing.

“You’re a good leader, Red,” he nodded, looking up at her. “When you have your head on your shoulders.”

 _Ah,_ Ruby thought.

But before she could say something, he raised his hand, tapping his hat again, continually.

“I know it can be tough in times like this. I see a lot of myself in you, and I have learned to know you. I know you want to save everyone, Red, but you must understand. You can’t save everyone.”

He let a pause there, locking his eyes with her as she gritted her teeth, and he let out a short breath before continuing.

“Sometimes, sacrifices must be made. Sometimes, you’re too late. Sometimes, luck isn’t on your side,” he huffed, the ghost of a smile on his lips and making his mustache twitch. “I know it’s not easy to understand, I know the weight of loss can be unbearable, and I have seen you change because of it. And you didn’t change in a good way. I understand your anger, but it doesn’t have its place here, right now.”

Ruby swallowed as she looked down, ashamed of herself, but before she could dwell on it further he stepped closer as he reached inside his jacket, searching in his chest pocket.

“I’m not scolding you,” he assured when he saw her expression change. “I’m… holding my hand out for you. I don’t want you to go down the path I went, so while I was out, I had the time to search through my bags for this.”

Lucky finally pulled out what seemed like a business card from his pocket, and he glanced at it for a second before offering it to Ruby, waiting for her to take it.

“She’s the one who treated me,” he informed with a sigh. “She has a specialty with Hunters. She saved my life,” he insisted. “A troubled mind can do horrible things to someone, and I don’t want you to do something stupid like I almost did.”

She looked down at the card, chewing at her lip as she could read the name and the address of the psychologist, and Lucky rested his hand on her shoulder. She had to resist the urge of jerking back from his touch, remembering that what she was seeing… what she was seeing wasn’t real. Besides… his touch was light, but firm and reassuring. She decided to focus on that instead.

“Just remember that there are people here for you. Your team, your friends, hell, even me if it comes to that, but when this is all over… Pay her a visit. It’s never too late for help. Alright?”

Ruby looked up from the card, seeing the concern in his piercing blue eyes as he made a small grimace in sympathy, understanding, and he squeezed her shoulder shortly before letting go.

“Okay,” she only said as she nodded, feeling her throat tightening.

He nodded too, taking in a sharp breath in as he straightened his back, and he cleared his throat.

“I’ll…” he trailed off, motioning towards the center of the village awkwardly.

It made her chuckle, at least.

“Sure,” she huffed, tapping the card on her fingers a few times before storing it in one of the pouches at her belt.

Lucky cleared his throat again, his hat still against his chest as he bowed his head in silent goodbye, and he turned on his heels, starting away, and as she watched him she could see the deep sigh he let out, his shoulders almost dropping as he did, and he ran a hand in his hair. As she watched him go, she wondered why someone who seemed as caring as him spoke so little of his team, even though it was clear that he loved them dearly, and as he was about to set his hat back on, Ruby called him.

“Lucky?”

The tracker stopped, lowering his hat as he turned towards her, raising his eyebrows in silent questioning.

“What happened to your team?” she asked, even though a part of her already knew the answer.

She saw him hesitate as he looked down, wetting his lips as he was about to put his hat on but seemed to reconsider.

“They died,” he finally answered with his hat against his chest, ghosts in his eyes and a sad smile making his mustache twitch.

 

****

 

“We don’t even know what their location is,” Lucky was grumbling in his bowl as he sipped from it.

“But we can’t just send someone, if they get too close-” Blake sighed as she shook her head.

“Ren could,” Jaune chirped in, turning to his teammate. “With his semblance, he will be invisible.”

“It only works when I’m not moving,” the quiet man reminded calmly.

“Wait,” Ruby suddenly raised her head, almost dropping her spoon on the table.

They all turned to her, stopping their movement as the younger woman looked suddenly embarrassed, and after a quick swallow, she slightly turned to her partner, almost nervously.

“Weiss could,” she let out quietly.

“Me?” Weiss raised her eyebrows high on her forehead.

“Ruby, Weiss’s glyphs are super shiny and it also makes _sound_ ,” Yang protested, leaning over the table to better look at her sister. “You can’t be serious with this.”

“Not literally Weiss,” Ruby was quick to reassure, tensing. “But, one of her Grimm could. Can you see what it sees?” she asked to her partner.

“Oh,” the smaller woman blinked, before furrowing her brows, thinking. “Well, I can’t see per se, but I get the information upon return or death of the Grimm, so I know where the enemy is hurt and where it went.”

The table was silent for a couple of second longer as Weiss seemed to think about it more, before she nodded, a decided look on her face as she stood.

“I’ll send a Lancer; they are smaller and definitely more subtle than a Nevermore. I also think that by air, there is less chance that it’s going to be seen.”

Nora gasped loudly as she almost fell from her bench, and was by Weiss’s side in a wink, bouncing on her feet like an excited child.

“Can I see you summon it?” she asked in a whisper, more stars in her eyes than there was in the night sky.

“Of course,” Weiss huffed with a smile. “Come along.”

And Nora followed with a high-pitched squeal, jumping to make her way outside with Weiss. Jaune huffed as he looked at them go, shaking his head slightly with a fond smile on his lips.

“I can’t believe these two get along,” he chuckled, returning to his food.

“Well, Ruby is Weiss’s girlfriend,” Ren commented. “And Yang is her teammate. I guess Nora is a bit of both, don’t you think?”

Jaune seemed to think about it for a second, stopping his spoon in his bowl as he looked up, frowning.

“Huh.”

Blake couldn’t help but chuckle at the snort Yang let out, and she heard the chime of Weiss’s glyph, outside, the glow of it could be seen through the window in the dusking sky, and it was very closely followed by Nora’s impressed gasp. She smiled when she heard Weiss chuckle at the excited woman’s reaction, and she took a moment to look around the table as Yang was pulling faces at Jaune and Ren, to try and make them laugh as they were eating, and she noticed that Lucky was observing them with a soft smile as he listened to their banter. Then, her eyes fell on her leader, who suddenly scrapped at her bowl without the ardor she had at the start of their meals.

She heard Weiss laugh outside as Nora was talking excitedly, and when she noticed that Ruby’s expression only darkened as she seemed hunched over her bowl after a quick glance towards the door, Blake knew it was the mention of Ruby being Weiss’s girlfriend that was causing this. And so, she scooted away from Yang and over to Ruby’s side, taking Weiss’s place in her absence.

“Hey,” she only said, keeping her voice low so it was only for the two of them.

The leader glanced up, and as soon as she locked her eyes with Blake, her shoulders drooped a bit.

“I still haven’t talked with her,” she confessed, resting her elbow on the table to lean her head against her fist. “I didn’t have time today.”

“Then talk to her tonight,” Blake gently reassured, bumping their shoulders together slightly.

When she saw Ruby tense, she suddenly remembered what the leader had told her the night before, and she also remembered how distressed Ruby had been. But the younger woman relaxed shortly after, her jaw working as the leader kept poking around in her bowl with her spoon, and Blake quickly glanced around, making sure no one was listening.

“Are you feeling better?”

She made sure to keep her voice down, returning her attention on her leader, who shrugged one shoulder.

“A bit,” she sighed. “I guess I… really needed to sleep,” she chuckled humorlessly.

As Blake grimaced a bit, she saw Ruby reached for something at her belt, and she discreetly put something in the faunus’s hand.

“Lucky gave me this, earlier.”

Furrowing her brows, Blake looked down and saw the business card, reading it quickly before looking up at Ruby, her eyebrows high and questioning as the leader only looked at the card as she took a sip of her glass, before sighing as she set it down.

“Ruby, that’s…” the faunus looked up, a small smile on her lips. “That’s great! Keep it, because I might go see her too. I mean, we probably should, all of us.”

The younger woman huffed, and the corner of her lips twitched as she took the card back, and returned it to the pouch at her belt, but Blake could still see her nibble at her lip, making the glass twirl and scrape on the table as she pressed her lips together, and the faunus angled her head, asking silently.

“What am I going to tell Weiss?” Ruby finally let out, her shoulders slouching a bit.

Blake stared at her, blinking.

“What do you mean? You tell her the truth. You admitted yourself you weren’t well, and, I know this is ironic coming from me, but there is no shame in needing help.”

“You think she’ll understand?”

“Of course she will! Ruby, you…” the faunus sighed, running a hand in her hair before shifting a bit in her seat, turning a bit more towards her. “Just talk to her. Explain to her, like you did with me. But as I said, it’s not because it is understandable that it is excusable.”

Ruby nodded then, still chewing on her lip a bit.

“Okay.”

“And… I have to confess something to you, Ruby.”

The leader looked up, her silver eyes serious but curious as she locked her eyes with Blake’s.

“I…” the faunus sighed, pausing for a second. “I said something terrible about you.”

When she only saw Ruby’s eyebrows furrow, she quickly resumed before the leader could say something.

“When Weiss was talking to me about how she was feeling, about how you were treating her,” she started, and the younger woman visibly winced as she looked back to stare at the table in front of her. “I… I compared you to Adam. I thought you were becoming like him.”

She let a beat pass, but Ruby only stilled, her grip tightening on the glass she was holding.

“And then, you hurt Weiss, and I was so furious,” she huffed, looking down at the table, her ears hanging low. “I thought I was right.”

“You know that you’re less attentive when you’re mad?” the leader let out, her voice even. “I was hiding in a tree, and you passed under me three times.”

“Why were you hiding in the first place?”

“I had to think. And, when I saw the look on your face, I really didn’t want to be skinned alive.”

Blake looked at her for a second, her lips pressed together tightly before she felt one of her ears twitch, letting out a puff of air.

“Fair enough,” she whispered.

She tapped her fingers on the table a couple of times, a silence settling between them as she could still hear Nora and Weiss outside, talking, and the rest of the people at the table were too absorbed in the conversation they were having to care about what Blake and Ruby were whispering.

“But then I saw you this morning,” the faunus resumed, gaining Ruby’s attention back. “You told me what was happening. You admitted you weren’t well. And even though I know you’re scared of your talk with Weiss, you still want to set things straight with her. That’s something Adam has never done. So I can tell you that Weiss was right. You’re not like Adam, and I’m sorry I doubted you.”

The leader took a moment before offering a response, just taking every word in as she was as still as a statue, long enough to make Blake shift nervously beside her, until Ruby nodded slowly, keeping her gaze low.

“It’s that bad, huh?”

It wasn’t a question, Ruby was just stating the obvious but before Blake could say something, Weiss entered the inn again, Nora on her heels, and the smaller woman stopped right beside the table, looking upset and slightly offended.

“What’s going on with you?” Yang asked after the moment of silence following her entrance.

“It’s been shot down,” Weiss let out, sounding confused.

“…What?”

“My Lancer,” she explained with a roll of her eyes. “It was flying above the trees. I know where the Grimm are gathering, by the way,” she added, looking up at Lucky. “But as it was circling near the rear, it was shot down.”

“What do you mean, ‘shot down’?” this time Jaune carefully asked.

Weiss only threw her hands in the air, rising her eyes to the sky.

“It means exactly what it means! Someone shot it down!”

“Someone?” Lucky repeated, perking up.

The smaller woman nodded quickly, turning her attention to him.

“There isn’t only Grimm, there,” she confirmed, a sudden nervousness in her voice. “And there were many of those slime pools we saw, a couple of days ago, but… bigger. A lot bigger. The trees are all dead. And… I think it’s where Salem is.”


	10. Chapter 10

The silence that followed was sudden and heavy as all eyes stared at Weiss, Nora silently sitting on the bench beside Ren, and it was Lucky that broke the silence.

“How do you know?”

“It’s strange, but… My Lancer was turning back near the rear, because it was _terrified_ of what was there,” Weiss quietly explained, bringing a hand to her chest, and they all could see it shaking.

“And who can make a Grimm terrified except Salem herself,” the tracker muttered as he lowered his eyes to the table, frowning as he thought.

He sighed but stood, snatching one of the last pieces of bread on the table before motioning for her to follow him, and they stepped closer to the hanged map on the far wall, wanting Weiss to show him where they were gathering. They all followed her with their eyes, and Blake could see Yang’s clenched fists on one side of her, and on the other, Ruby’s blank stare as she looked at Weiss.

“We should attack now,” the blonde growled, her expression dark. “While they’re unprepared.”

“It’s going to be night, Yang,” Ruby flatly reminded, turning her head to her. “We won’t see a thing. And we don’t have enough Hunters to really have a chance, right now.”

“But if we wait, she’ll only gather more Grimm!”

“I know,” the younger woman sighed, and her blank expression changed for a dreadful one. “But let’s see where they are. Maybe there’s something in the area that we can use to our advantage.”

And Ruby stood, moving to the map as Weiss was marking it with an ‘X’, and soon both Blake and Yang went to join them as Weiss was talking, pointing at this and that on the map.

“… Not that covered on the sides, they are just in the middle of a plain. There is a hill, however,” she paused, tapping the end of the marker at a point near the ‘X’. “I’m surprised Salem didn’t use it, it’s the only point of higher ground in the area.”

Lucky sighed, eying the map as Weiss capped the marker and left it on the table, and they all observed the map for a moment, taking in the new information.

“We can’t attack at night,” the tracker let out, disappointed. “We should talk with the other leaders, but in my opinion, we should wait for tomorrow, at least.”

“But they’re so close!” Yang still protested. “What if _she_ decides to take the fight through the night?”

Lucky hummed, nodding slightly, his eyes never leaving the map.

“I feel like this is going to be one very decisive battle,” he muttered, tugging at his mustache before turning around to look outside. “We should have people standing watch, for tonight. In case Salem decides to attack first,” he added, bowing his head to Yang.

“Maybe I can find a couple of faunus who would lend their eyes for the night,” Blake proposed, glancing quickly at Ruby, the leader nodding her approval once, before already moving outside.

Yang followed her promptly, and after one last glance to the map, Lucky tapping the stocks of his guns thoughtfully, before he sighed deeply, his eyes turning to Ruby.

“Qrow should be arriving tomorrow, and… I should call Ozpin and the General.”

He bowed his head to them, touching the brim of his hat before exiting the inn, leaving Ruby and Weiss alone in front of the map, leaving them in a sudden silence in the seemingly peaceful room as team JNR had left when they had heard Blake and Yang talk, outside.

So they were alone.

But it was apparent that both of them weren’t prepared for this, and they fidgeted with everything, the silence only stretching and growing heavy until, at last, Ruby quickly wetted her lips and turned to Weiss, slightly.

“Red!” Lucky’s voice rang from outside, and Ruby’s mouth clacked shut in synch with Weiss’s eyes. “Come along!”

“Coming!” the leader retorted, annoyance clear in her throat, and she noticed Weiss biting her lips as she looked down, trying to hide her amusement.

But Ruby took a moment as she looked back to Weiss, seeing the smaller woman smoothing her skirt before she looked up, the ghost of a smile on her lips as she wordlessly pointed at the door with her chin.

“Just go,” she softly let out. “We can talk later. Without being interrupted.”

Just as they could hear Lucky calling for her again, Ruby nodded, muttering an apology before scramming out of the inn, Weiss smiling a bit when she heard her grumble something to the tracker. With a sigh, Weiss looked over at the map, staring at the red mark as her smile vanished, replaced by a nervous twist.

Why was her Lancer so terrified of Salem? If it was really her, there?

 

****

 

It was late when Ruby stopped in front of the room she shared with Weiss, and she couldn’t see any lights coming from under the door. Maybe Weiss was asleep. She looked over at the next door, seeing the light that filtered under the door, and knowing that Yang would be alone, too. Blake had taken first shift for the night’s watch, along with a few others, and was supposed to return in a couple of hours, replaced by someone else.

No, she had to do this. They needed to talk.

So Ruby took a deep, steadying breath, her hands curling into tight fists for a couple of seconds, before reaching for the doorknob.

The door creaked quietly when she opened it, and she poked her head inside, wondering what she would like better to see between her partner sleeping or waiting for her.

It turns out that Weiss was waiting for her, sitting near the window in her sleepwear, and she looked over when she heard the door opening. Ruby still didn’t know which she liked better.

She froze for a second, her eyes locking with Weiss, but she walked in the room still, closing the door behind her as quietly as she had opened it, and she stood there for a moment, wondering what to say or what to do.

Weiss beat her to it. The smaller woman stood and moved to the bed to sit on the edge of it, and patted the space beside her a few times.

“We need to talk.”

Her voice was quiet, and she shifted as she looked up at Ruby expectantly, but nervousness was shown by slender fingers playing with the hem of her shirt. The leader nodded as she swallowed, her hands curling and relaxing on each side of her before she moved, but instead of sitting beside her, Ruby stopped a few feet in front of Weiss and sat on the floor, her legs crossed.

“What are you doing?” the smaller woman asked, her eyebrows raised high on her forehead.

“I don’t want you to see me as a threat.”

And Ruby waved at her partner.

“So you have higher ground.”

Blue eyes narrowed slightly, and Weiss tilted her head to the side, just a bit.

“Are you already planning that we’re going to fight?”

“I hope not,” the leader sighed, smoothing her skirt on her thighs.

The smaller woman sighed, raising her eyes to the sky shortly before moving to sit on the floor, her back leaned against the bed.

“I don’t want to fight, Ruby. I want to talk. I want to understand what’s going on with you.”

The leader nodded, keeping her eyes down on her hands as they lay motionless in her lap, and she took in a sharp breath, steeling herself.

“I want to hear you first,” she said softly. “I want to hear what I did wrong, and how it made you feel. I want to know everything.”

She looked up, locking her eyes with Weiss.

“Then, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Did _I_ do something wrong?”

Her partner’s voice was soft and quiet, and Weiss had asked after a beat of silence, but Ruby straightened her back at that, as surprised as if Weiss had slapped her.

“What? No! Why would you think that?”

“Because it feels like I have.”

There was a silence then, Ruby staring at Weiss as the smaller woman had her gaze lowered at the floor between them, and the leader leaned forward, hoping that Weiss would see the truth in her eyes.

“You did nothing wrong, Weiss,” she let out, holding her partner’s gaze when she looked up. “It’s me. Not you.”

“But you stopped talking to me,” the smaller woman quietly said. “You stopped showing me flowers you thought were pretty, clouds you thought looked funny. You started avoiding me. You stopped kissing me out of the blue just for the hell of it, and you started to kiss me only when we’re having sex. And the sex,” she huffed, shaking her head. “I’m not something you can stick your fingers in whenever _you_ want to, Ruby. I’m a person with feelings.”

Staying silent, Ruby looked down as she listened, feeling herself hunching over with everything Weiss said, the weight of every word added on her shoulders, but she let her speak, not daring to interrupt.

“You started keeping me from touching you,” Weiss was continuing, and the amount of hurt in her voice made Ruby close her eyes. “I can’t even hold your hand! I can’t love you! I can’t cuddle you after you make ‘love’ to me!” she had quoted the word, and Ruby lowered her head, leaning her elbows on her knees as she stared at the floor. “You started making me feel like a stranger, and I know you like the back of my hand, Ruby,” she paused for a second, swallowing as she stared at Ruby. “Just _how_ do you want me to believe it’s not me?”

She shifted, moving a bit closer, and Ruby’s silver eyes went up in a slow blink, feeling exhausted all of a sudden, but she could see that Weiss was taking a deep breath, visibly trying to calm down as the light of the moon would send shadows on her face as her jaw worked.

“I miss you, Ruby,” Weiss continued, her voice softer. “I miss the woman who would stay in the room even though she can’t sleep, because she knows I don’t like to wake up alone. I miss hugging you, I miss being close to you. I miss our midnight conversations, our midnight walks. I miss the feeling of just being with you, I miss the way we didn’t have to talk and we enjoyed each other’s presence, I miss… I miss _feeling_ close to you, Ruby. You pushed me away. I think it’s one of the things that hurts me the most.”

“I understand if things can’t stay the same, Ruby, I do. I know that this war is changing you, it’s changing all of us, but… You can still talk to me. That hasn’t changed, and it never will. So why don’t you, anymore? Why are you ignoring me? I’m your partner, Ruby. In this team, but in your life too.”

There was a silence, and Ruby could feel Weiss’s stare on her, could feel the pain in it, pain that _she_ had caused, and she closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she nodded slightly.

“Is there something else you’d like to say?” she let out as the silence stretched, her voice sounding sad and tired to her own ears.

She looked up, seeing a strange expression on Weiss’s face as the moonlight illuminated her from behind, painting her long, loose hair in silver and wrapping the border of her eyes as the smaller woman turned her head to the side. A ring of silver that hugged a sapphire.

Weiss seemed to hesitate then, opening her mouth a few times and closing it soon after, her delicate eyebrows drawn together slightly.

“You know where I come from, Ruby,” she finally let out, her voice so quiet in the silence of the room.

“I never meant to hurt you, Weiss,” the leader murmured, knowing where this was going.

“But you still did.”

Ruby lowered her head again as Weiss sighed, the smaller woman fidgeting with her shirt again as she seemed to struggle to find the right words.

“It wasn’t the pain in itself that hurt me more. It was the fact that in that moment, I was scared of you. And the fact that you actually _could_ hurt me.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Ruby said again, feeling her eyes well up as her breath shortened.

“But you still did, Ruby. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t mean to.”

“I’m sorry, Weiss,” the leader breathed, feeling her throat tightening so much that her voice trembled. “I’m sorry. I will never hurt you again, I promise.”

She looked up, but when she was met by infinite sadness in Weiss’s eyes she couldn’t help but look away again, shame heavy on her shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” she said again.

“I know you are, and I appreciate this,” the smaller woman said softly. “But it won’t change the fact that now, I’m always going to wonder where the line is.”

“The line?”

“The line not to cross,” she smiled sadly. “When will you be angry enough to raise your hand on me again? Where do I draw the line to avoid that?”

“I’m not going to,” Ruby affirmed with all the meager confidence she could muster.

“How do you know? You already did it once. You can do it again.”

She felt her breath caught in her throat and felt as the tears started to fall, rolling on her cheeks as she raised her head to look at her partner, the sad look still in her eyes.

“What can I do to make you believe me?” she asked, sniffling quietly.

And Weiss smiled again, sadly.

“It can be very simple, or very hard. You keep your word, and I will believe you.”

She stared at Weiss for a second until an idea struck her, and in a swift movement she pulled on her weapon, still in its holster against her lower back, and before Weiss could say something she set it down between them, and the leader rested her hand on it, looking up in Weiss’s eyes with determination.

“I swear to you,” she started solemnly, and noticed when Weiss perked up at her seriousness. “I will _never_ raise my hand on you again. And if I ever do,” she paused, pushing the red and black weapon towards her partner, her eyes locked with blue ones. “Then you cut it off with my own weapon.”

She couldn’t care less about the tears still rolling down her cheeks as Weiss stared at her for a moment, her expression going through a hundred different emotions in seconds as she blinked but slowly, after a moment of stillness, she reached for the weapon to touch it, setting her hand a few inches away from Ruby’s.

The leader nodded then, straightening her back as her eyes left Weiss’s to fall on her weapon, the smaller woman’s hand still resting on it as her partner huffed quietly, her, too, looking down at the weapon.

“And they dare call _me_ dramatic,” Weiss quietly let out, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

It managed to make the corner of Ruby’s lips curl, but the leader took a deep, steadying breath, her eyes fixated on Crescent Rose, and a feeling of purposefulness settled over her.

She could go through this. For Weiss.

She just didn’t know what ‘this’ was.

“Is there something else you wanted to say?” she asked softly, quickly wiping the tears on her cheeks as she cleared her throat.

“Yes,” the smaller woman looked up from the weapon, and Ruby nodded, attentive. “You need to sleep more.”

She huffed, closing her eyes for a second, not missing the way her partner still had a smile on her lips, no matter how small it was.

“Then I’ll tell you why I can’t sleep, at night.”

It caught Weiss’s attention right away, and her expression changed again to settle on a serious and attentive one, and Ruby couldn’t help but think about how much she missed her partner, too.

“I’m sorry I made you feel this way, Weiss,” she started. “I’m sorry I hurt you in so many ways. It was never my intention. It’s… It was the opposite.”

When Weiss frowned she sighed, shifting a bit, and she closed her eyes, remembering her conversation with Blake.

_What do you mean? Just tell her the truth._

“I did push you away,” she let out, opening her eyes and lowering them to the floor. “But it was for you to not worry.”

“About what?” Weiss asked, her eyebrows furrowed deeply.

“About me,” she answered after a moment, looking up at Weiss. “Something happened with me, Weiss. I’m… I’m not well.”

The smaller woman narrowed her eyes a bit, tilting her head to the side.

“I don’t think I understand,” she finally said. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m not well in my head.”

When Weiss only blinked, Ruby took a sharp breath in, wetting her lips, and kept her eyes fixated on her weapon instead of Weiss.

“I stopped talking to you because I didn’t want you to notice something was wrong. I didn’t want you to try and make me tell what it was. I started avoiding you, because I couldn’t stand you looking at me. I didn’t want you to see me the way I see myself. And I… I kept you from touching me because… I see… something on me.”

She noticed when Weiss shifted closer again, pushing Ruby’ weapon to the side to sit directly in front of her, their knees only a few inches away from each other.

“What do you see?” the smaller woman asked, her voice soft.

The leader quickly glanced at her, only seeing attentiveness on Weiss’s face and she closed her eyes, a wave of relief washing over her as she hunched forward a bit.

“I see blood,” she breathed, opening her eyes to look at her hands, and she could see the slight raise of Weiss’s eyebrows. “I didn’t want you to touch me because I didn’t want you to be tainted. Sometime, I can’t even tell if it’s real or not, and… I can’t sleep at night, because I have these awful dreams, and when I’m as exhausted as I was yesterday, I can’t tell when something, anything, is real or not.”

She paused then, giving time for Weiss to take it all in as she sighed, but she felt something bump against her head, and when she looked up… the only thing she could see was blue as Weiss leaned her forehead against hers.

“Then ask me,” the smaller woman said softly. And, after a beat of silence, her eyes flicked up. “Is this alright?”

She huffed, never minding the fear that had suddenly taking over her and letting the reassuring presence of her partner work its magic as she nodded, and she couldn’t even describe how this single touch from Weiss meant to her. She could _feel_ Weiss close, like this. It shook her to her core to feel how much she missed it, now realising what Weiss had meant, earlier.

“Then you just have to ask me, if you’re not sure something is real or not,” Weiss was resuming. “Me, or someone else. You know we’re here for you. We can help you if you need it.”

Ruby only nodded and she closed her eyes, resisting the urge of crawling on Weiss’s lap, to let the smaller woman wrap her arms around her until she felt better. As much as she wanted it, she knew she couldn’t, fear rising like tide inside of her.

“Maybe it’s only going to get worse, Weiss.”

“Maybe,” Weiss conceded. “But we’ll see to it at that moment. Just keep me in the loop, this time. I want to know what’s going on with you. Alright?”

And she nodded again, feeling her eyes prickle as she let out a deep breath, opening her eyes again as a silence fell on them, but it wasn’t heavy. It was… almost comfortable, as Ruby reached over to one of Weiss’s hands that were on the smaller woman’s lap, and with the tips of her fingers, she brushed over the back of it.

“Aren’t you tainting me when you touch me?” Weiss asked, her voice quiet as she looked down at what Ruby was doing.

“It’s weird,” she only said, flipping her hand over, and letting the tips hover over her palm and stopped at her wrist, before trailing back to follow the lines in it.

“Tell me anyway?”

She let out a long exhale through her nose, her fingers tracing the edges of Weiss’s hand, keeping her touch light over her skin.

“You have this light,” she started, keeping her eyes down as Weiss looked up at her. “This bright light that shines even in the darkness, like a beacon. And it shines so bright that when I reach to you, it cleans the blood on my hands.”

A beat passed between them, and Weiss looked down again, her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Oh,” she said simply.

A blink.

“But when I reach for you…”

“You just said it. You reach for me, enter my space. It’s… You don’t want to enter my space.”

And the white head nodded, accompanied with a small sigh.

“Okay.”

And another silence fell on them, but neither of them moved, both of them looking down as Ruby kept drawing patterns in Weiss’s hand, their heads still linked, and time passed, the light of the moon making their shadows grow, and reluctantly, Weiss shifted, sighing.

“We should get some sleep,” she said quietly.

Ruby only nodded, finishing the circle she was drawing in Weiss’s hand before she pulled away with one last rub of her thumb, and she stood, moving to her bag to take her sleepwear. And as Weiss climbed in the bed, Ruby disappeared in the bathroom to change.

When she got out, she could see that Weiss was looking at her, seemingly waiting for her, but when she got close, instead of going under the covers she only took her pillow and rummaged with her bag to undo the clips holding her bedroll.

“What are you doing?” the smaller woman asked.

The leader stopped. Weiss’s voice was accusatory, already knowing what she was doing, and apparently, she wasn’t going to let her finish.

“I’m sleeping on the floor,” Ruby informed.

The smaller woman turned around, a scowl on her face.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ruby. You sleep on the bed.”

“But-”

“You need to sleep,” Weiss insisted, before reaching over and patting Ruby’s side of the bed. “You know there’s enough room for the both of us.”

As Ruby hesitated, Weiss propped herself on her elbow to better look at her.

“Ruby, I mean, your bedroll serves its purpose in the woods, but there’s a bed here. Use it. I’m not going to push you off in the middle of the night.”

Abandoning the fight with the clips, the leader stood, holding her pillow against her for a moment more in one last hesitation, but finally climbed in the bed, slipping under the covers and finding it already warmed up by Weiss’s warmth, and she sighed as she closed her eyes, content.

“And if you can’t sleep, stay in bed still,” the smaller woman said, her voice quiet. “Your body needs rest as much as your mind needs it.”

“Okay,” she sighed, pulling the covers up under her chin.

She could feel Weiss shift as she was lying on her side and facing her, but even if the silence stretched, Ruby could still feel Weiss’s stare on her, and she furrowed her brows, looking to the side. But Weiss beat her to it.

“When we were having sex,” the smaller woman started, uneasy with the subject it seemed. “What were you… I mean, why…”

As she trailed off again, Ruby shifted on her side too, facing Weiss, and the smaller woman quickly ran a tongue on her lips, trying to find the right words.

“I felt like I was an object, not like I am the woman you love,” she finally said, and the stab of pain Ruby felt was all too real.

“I’m sorry,” was the only thing she found to say, her throat squeezed tight. “I didn’t mean for you to feel like that.”

The smaller woman only nodded, releasing a small sigh as she kept her eyes lowered, and she was about to turn around when Ruby reached over, lightly touching her shoulder to stop her.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

Her voice was barely above a whisper, her hand leaving her partner’s shoulder to rest on the pillow between them, and Weiss was staring at the ceiling as she was on her back, her hair sprawled around her, and she stayed silent for a long moment. But Ruby didn’t press. She could wait.

“I don’t know,” the smaller woman finally murmured.

“Weiss-”

“I was afraid you would leave if I did.”

She could see Weiss’s jaw working, clenching and unclenching as she stubbornly stared at the ceiling, seemingly upset with herself at the revelation. A silence fell on them, and after a moment, Ruby flipped her hand over, palm up.

“Can I hold your hand?” she very quietly asked.

Weiss glanced at her for a second, before settling her eyes on the offered hand, and she wordlessly shifted to the side again, and she settled her hand in Ruby’s carefully, the leader squeezing it lightly. Then, she brought it to her lips, kissing the pale fingers softly.

“I’m not leaving, Weiss,” she assured, closing her eyes as she pressed the back of Weiss’s hand against her cheek. “So if I ever do something wrong again, tell me. Please.”

She felt one of Weiss’s fingers move, caressing her cheek with the back of her finger. It was a small gesture, but Ruby was glad. She didn’t know if she could handle more.

“I promise,” Weiss finally said, her voice quiet, and she kissed her fingers again.

 

****

 

When she woke up, she was surprised to see that the sky was covered, and that Ruby was still in bed with her, the leader laying on her back with her hands over her stomach, fingers crossed, and she was staring at the ceiling, seemingly deep in thoughts.

But when Weiss moved, groaning a bit as she woke up, Ruby looked over, and she smiled. But the smile was short lived as a shadow passed in silver eyes, and the leader rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed, before disappearing in the bathroom.

At least, she had stayed until she woke up.

She got out of the inn as the rumble of yet another airship was heard, and she looked up, trying to see where it was in the gray sky, the clouds low and dark, the promise of a rainstorm later today. Finally, the airship appeared from the cover of clouds, quickly adjusting its course to land outside of the village.

Other Hunters, Weiss mused as she saw them enter the village a few minutes later, and the airship rose in the sky again, disappearing as quickly as it came.

Giving a sweep of the area, she could see Yang outside too, talking with other Hunters as she pointed at this and that, seemingly giving directions, and she must have felt her stare because she spun on her heels, her lavender eyes staring back instantly, and a smile pulled her lips as she waved at her.

Huffing, she returned the wave, about to check one last time at the probably abandoned Dust shop, but she saw the blonde turn around to say something to the Hunters she was talking to, before jogging her way and Weiss waited for her, watching as she got closer.

“Hey,” Yang greeted, stopping beside her.

“Hi,” Weiss said in return, before glancing around. “Where is Blake?”

“Sleeping,” the blonde said with a sigh, and she followed Weiss as she started walking. “The guy supposed to replace her for the watch was sick, so she had to pull an all-nighter.”

“Sick?”

Yang’s expression suddenly went serious, and she pointed over her shoulder with her thumb.

“Yeah. I was talking with his teammates, and they told me that they came across a pool of slime yesterday. They said that the guy had touched it with his bare hands.”

The smaller woman stopped in her tracks, looking back over where Yang was talking with the Hunters.

“Oh no,” she whispered, worry snaking inside her, but before she could dwell on it further, Yang set a reassuring hand on her arm.

“He’s fine,” she smiled. “Blake told them what to do. He’s resting now.”

“We should make an announcement about this. So every Hunter would know not to touch it, and what to do if they do.”

As Yang nodded, her face scrunching up as she was thinking, they heard a voice, amidst everything happening around them.

“Ladies!”

They both turned in synch towards Lucky’s voice, seeing him make his way through the crowd as he kept his jacket closed around him, and he stopped a few paces away from them, before gesturing to follow him, and he started again. Glancing at each other, Weiss and Yang still followed the man as he led them to a quieter place, the voices coming from the center of the village only background noises, now.

“I’m glad I stumbled on you and not on Coat,” Lucky finally muttered as he stopped at the foot of a tree, turning to them. “I know she would be very upset about what I found.”

“What is it?” Yang instantly asked, glancing around them to make sure they were alone.

But he raised a hand in the air.

“It’s not that serious,” he reassured, a twitch to his mustache indicating that he was smiling. “It’s… something I found when I went to see Pearl, this morning.”

As if on cue, the jacket he kept closed moved, and he reached inside, shushing as he did, and when he pulled out his hand, he held… something brownish that whined.

“A puppy?” Yang raised her eyebrows high as Weiss gasped softly.

“I’m only a man,” Lucky started to defend himself as he clutched the puppy protectively against his chest, then chuckled when it started licking his neck. “I couldn’t leave her when I found her. Well, when Pearl found her.”

“Her?” Weiss asked, looking up shortly at the tracker.

“It’s a little girl,” he smiled before stepping closer, and he set the puppy in Weiss’s waiting arms, and she raised her in front of her eyes, taking a look.

Well, she didn’t know much about dogs, but this was clearly a mutt. The puppy wagged its tail quickly as it wiggled in her hands, whining as it tried to get closer, but Weiss noticed that the puppy had one clear blue eye, and the other was light brown. And also one ear that was half up, the tip limp, while the other was drooped. She also noticed that the fur of the puppy was brown, but it has stripes of darker and lighter shades, with spots of white on its legs and paws, chest and chin, and two on its shoulders.

Still, when the puppy started whining louder and even letting out a quiet, high-pitched bark, Weiss brought her closer to her, and the tail wagged even faster as it started licking her neck and chin, making her laugh.

“We can’t keep her,” Yang was saying at Lucky with a sigh as they both looked at Weiss as the smaller woman tried to reason with the puppy, asking for her to stop licking. “Where did you find her, anyway?”

“As I said, Pearl was the one who found her. She undid the knot and went deeper in the forest, probably because she heard her. The mom and pups was attacked by coyotes, and… She’s the only survivor,” he pointed with his chin, smiling when Weiss started scolding the puppy about proper etiquettes. “Pearl has been protecting her since.”

And the blonde let out a long, deep sigh as she turned her attention on Weiss, too, but a smile pulled her lips when Weiss was interrupted mid-scolding by the pup licking her chin again. She sighed again as she stepped closer, the tail of the puppy wagging again when it noticed her, and she chuckled when it nearly jumped out of Weiss’s arms to come closer, so she reached over with her left hand, never minding when the puppy licked her hand and Weiss sighed, defeated.

“She has big paws,” Yang mused, frowning.

“The mom… I figured she was quite big. There wasn’t much left of her,” Lucky answered as he stepped closer, scratching behind the ear that stood up.

“She’s so friendly, too.”

“I figured one of the villagers left the mom and the pups when they left the village.”

The outraged scoff Weiss let out made Yang roll her eyes with affection as the smaller woman cradled the puppy in her arms, protectively.

“How could they? How could they leave you behind?” she said, this time to the puppy. “You’re so cute, how can anyone leave you behind?”

And Weiss started cooing at the dog, making the blonde huff and Lucky smiled too, resting his hands on the stocks of his guns.

“But still, we can’t keep her,” Yang gently insisted, scratching under the puppy’s chin and its chest.

“We can’t just throw her back in the woods, Yang,” Weiss protested, setting a light kiss on the falling ear.

“Weiss, we’re in the middle of a war,” the blonde tried to reason with her. “We don’t have time to take care of a puppy.”

“Ruby brought Zwei on a mission,” the smaller woman countered.

“Zwei was already all grown up and knew commands. We don’t have time to train a puppy.”

“Then I’ll take the time.”

“Weiss,” Yang sighed, waiting for the smaller woman to look up before continuing. “Blake will never accept letting a dog in the house.”

At that, Weiss bit her lip, nuzzling the puppy’s head and the blonde turned to look at Lucky, raising her eyebrows expectantly, but the tracker raised his hands defensively.

“I don’t even have a room here, and I don’t have a house. I can’t take her, that’s why I came to you.”

“But-”

“We could give her to Tai after the war.”

Both Lucky and Yang turned to Weiss, who kept nuzzling the dog as it closed its eyes in contentment.

“That way we’ll know she’s in good hands, and we could still see her again,” the smaller woman explained quietly.

“And what do we do in the meantime?” the blonde sighed after a moment as she ran a hand in her hair.

“I’ll ask Ruby if we can keep her, for the moment.”

And Yang grunted, rubbing her hand in her face as she shook her head slightly.

“It’s written in the sky she’ll say yes if it’s you asking,” she grumbled.

And she didn’t miss the way Weiss’s lips pulled up as she kissed the top of the puppy’s head.

 

****

 

“Weiss…” Ruby sighed deeply, her eyes staring at what Weiss was carrying.

“We can’t throw her back in the forest,” she said quietly, tilting her head to the side to try and catch the leader’s eyes, pleading.

Blake and Yang were watching a few paces away, the faunus’s ears flat on her scalp and her arms crossed, obviously upset about Lucky’s find, and Yang was standing beside her, commenting the exchange.

“Oh well, Ruby’s considering it,” the blonde quietly let out to Blake as they could see Ruby step closer to her partner.

Then she paused, before reaching a hand and gently scratched the head of the sleeping puppy, making it shift in its sleep.

“Uh-oh, she’s considering keeping it.”

The leader looked up then, and Yang could see Weiss angling her head as she looked up at Ruby, making her eyes bigger, and the blonde could see, cherry on top, Weiss’s lower lip slightly pushed forward.

“That’s it. Ruby’s going to keep it, Weiss is pouting.”

And Yang was right, Ruby’s hesitant expression melting into a defeated one as she sighed, her silver eyes looking down at the puppy again.

“Fine. But we give her to Dad whenever it’s possible. Deal?”

And Weiss nearly jumped in place as her face was split in two by a large smile, and Blake all but growled beside her, bristling.

“Keep it away from my stuff,” she hissed, before turning around and exiting the inn.

Yang followed her exit with an apologetic smile on her lips, but when she looked back, she could see the soft smiles on both Ruby’s and Weiss’s lips as they looked down.

This time, she _prayed_ that nothing happened to them again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Whiterose bit was longer than I expected haha So it might take longer than 3 chapters... Anyway. We'll get there.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha I lied everyone, but does it surprise you anymore? It's going to take more than three chapters, because you know me. I just keep adding to it.
> 
> But yeah, I'm kind of in the last sprint to finish this, that's why the updates are so close.
> 
> Anyway! Here's this! Thank you for reading, and I'm glad you enjoy it!
> 
> BTW, I do look at the comments, I just don't respond to them unless they are questions, but I am so, SO glad to see the comments. Thank you.

“It must be hard being a pup,” Blake commented with her chin in her hand, looking down at the puppy. “Look at it. Poor thing’s exhausted.”

Yang chuckled, leaning over to see the small body sprawled on the floor near the table, her belly taut and round after Weiss had gave the puppy her meal, and now she snored on her blanket.

“Weiss has been taking her everywhere with her,” Ruby sighed, looking at the dog, too. “She said she was going to make her a collar.”

“Weiss is going to spoil her so much,” the blonde chuckled again, leaning her elbow on the table.

The door of the inn opened wide, and Weiss entered, already glancing around.

Speaking of the devil.

“Baby?” she called, clearly searching for the dog.

Ruby, who was still watching the puppy sleep, only turned her head towards her partner, instantly, and it made Yang choke on air.

“Not you, the other baby,” Weiss waved her questioning look aside, finally spotting the puppy not far from them.

“‘Baby’?” Yang asked to her sister as Blake only shook her head, and the leader shrugged wordlessly.

The smaller woman made her way around the table before kneeling beside the puppy, and gently petted its head, waking the dog slowly.

“I’ve got something for you,” she said softly, reaching in her pocket and pulling out a ribbon, red, and on it there was a patch of white with something scribbled on it.

The pup stretched with a yawn, before sighing deeply, and Weiss chuckled as she quickly tied the ribbon around the dog’s neck, pulling on it for the white patch to be visible, until she nodded to herself, satisfied with her work.

“So, you got a name for her?” Yang asked, narrowing her eyes as she tried to read on the makeshift collar.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” the smaller woman sighed, leaving the puppy alone as she sat beside Ruby. “I decided to name her ‘Angel’.”

“Angel?” Ruby repeated, looking back at the dog.

“Yes,” Weiss nodded, following her stare. “Look at the spots on her back. Don’t you think they look like wings? Small wings.”

The three other women at the table tilted their heads to the side to better see the spots, and after a series of hum and quiet nodding , Weiss smiled, bringing a hand to her chest.

“Besides, she’s so cute, you can’t convince me she isn’t one,” she started cooing, and in this moment, Weiss looked so genuinely happy that it made them smile, for a moment forgetting what was happening outside of the inn.

But this moment of peace didn’t last long as the door opened again, but this time it was Qrow that entered, followed by Lucky.

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby greeted, standing with a smile, along with the rest of the team.

The Huntsman looked exhausted, covered in dust and with a patch of dried mud in his hair, but he still managed a smile as he got closer, setting a hand on Ruby’s head and ruffling her hair.

“Hey kiddo,” he smiled, his voice rough and tired.

The leader had frozen under the touch, and Weiss noticed how Ruby instantly tensed up, curling her hands into tight fists on each side of her, but before any of them could say something, Qrow pulled away, sighing as he set a hand on his hip.

“I’m sorry I’m so late,” he scratched his beard, blinking slowly. “There was a lot of Grimm on the way.”

Sensing something was wrong, Lucky guided Qrow to the map after a glance to Ruby, and as he gave the news to Qrow Weiss turned to her partner, seeing the blank stare in her silver eyes.

“Ruby?” she called softly, her eyebrows drawn together in worry.

The leader discreetly shook her head, closing her eyes for a second, and blindly reached for Weiss’s hand, squeezing it for a second.

“I’m okay,” she breathed, looking up at Weiss with a small smile. “I’m okay.”

And she moved, joining Lucky and Qrow as the two men talked, and Weiss spied on them for a moment, making sure that Ruby was really alright, until she felt someone grab her elbow, bringing her attention back.

“Didn’t you have something to do at the Dust shop, today?” Yang asked, smiling, and Weiss understood the meaning.

The blonde wanted her to do something, or else she would only watch Ruby like a hawk all evening.

“Come along?” Weiss asked, already moving towards Angel to wake her up.

 

****

 

Blake had just left for the watch when Ruby finally got back from her talk with Qrow and Lucky, and when she entered the room she was surprised to hear Weiss laugh coming from the bathroom, and after leaving her weapon and boots at the door she followed it, only to stop in the doorway.

Weiss was kneeling in front of the bathtub, and Angel was in it, soaked and dripping as the smaller woman mercilessly dropped water along the dog’s back, the poor puppy seemingly not liking her bath as she kept whining and trying to get out. But the puppy, clumsy on this slippery surface, kept slipping on and on, and even if Weiss held her, Angel didn’t stop falling in the few inches of water, splashing and sending water everywhere.

“Poor baby,” Ruby commented, smiling a bit when the puppy perked up at her voice, and tried to get out with even more determination.

Chuckling, Weiss held her down again, and Ruby kneeled beside her, finally seeing that the water was dirty and some parts of the dog was still covered in fresh mud, and she looked back and over the room, out the window, seeing that it had started to rain.

“Angel was covered in mud,” Weiss explained as she resumed her cleaning. “Poor Blake, though. She’s stuck in the rain.”

The leader grimaced in sympathy, looking back at the tub and seeing that Weiss was struggling a bit, so she focused on holding the puppy in place while Weiss would pour water on her, rubbing her short fur clean.

Soon, Weiss wrapped the puppy in a towel and sat on the toilet, drying her while Ruby pulled on the plug, the dirty water draining quickly, and she raised her eyebrows at the amount of sand it held.

“Geez, it looks like she went to Vacuo and brought back its desert as souvenirs,” the leader grumbled, washing the tub to get rid of it.

“I didn’t lie when I said she was ‘covered’ in mud,” Weiss chuckled, before pressing a kiss on top of the still damp head of the dog. “But at least you had fun, and that is what’s important, right?”

Ruby snorted, a smile pulling her lips at Weiss’s voice rising in pitch and cooing as she talked to the puppy, and she could see the towel move as Angel wagged her tail, happy.

The leader sat on the edge of the tub, looking at her partner as Weiss finished pampering the puppy, a soft smile on her lips when, with a roll of her eyes, the smaller woman set the wiggling puppy down with one last kiss.

“Alright, alright, you’re free, now.”

And the pup scrammed away and back in the room, quickly finding safe haven in the small bed Weiss had made for her before curling on herself there, added with a pitiful sigh.

“I know, I’m horrible,” Weiss sighed with a smile as she stood, hanging the towed behind the door for it to dry.

And Ruby watched her as her partner started her nightly routine, placing her boots her weapon right beside the bed on her side, after making sure the barrels of Myrtenaster were loaded and in reach, then pulling out the loose shirt she used as sleepwear. It made Ruby smile, each time. It was one of hers, actually, one of the shirt that were part of their uniform at Haven and one that Weiss had grown fond of sleeping with. But as she was about to strip, never minding that Ruby was watching, the leader stopped her.

“Weiss?”

The smaller woman looked over her shoulder as she pulled off her bolero, leaving her arms, shoulders and back bare, and without really knowing it she had stood and stepped closer, her hands itching at her side to touch Weiss’s skin. And when she looked up, she could see how pleased by Ruby’s reaction Weiss was.

“Can I hug you?” the leader murmured, making Weiss blink.

“Um,” she clearly waited for another kind of request, but still nodded. “Yes, of course.”

Carefully, she looped her arms around Weiss’s waist and pressed against her back, tensing a bit when she felt the smaller hands rest on top of hers, but she only had to take a couple of deep breaths, smelling Weiss’s scent, to relax again, nuzzling behind the smaller woman’s ear.

“Do you want kids?” she quietly asked, gently rubbing the tip of her nose with Weiss’s ear.

The smaller woman huffed, moving her head to the side to look at her, a small smile on her lips.

“Is this really the best time to talk about kids?”

“Seems as good a time as any,” Ruby shrugged, pressing a kiss behind her ear.

Closing her eyes, Weiss sighed, sinking back in the embrace but when the smaller woman’s eyebrows furrowed, the leader pulled back slightly, clearing her throat quietly.

“I mean, one day, you know. And maybe not with me, if it makes you more-”

“Hush,” the smaller woman said with a gentle slap of her hand, her eyebrows furrowed deeper. “If I want kids, of course I want little you running around the house.”

“Huh. I’d prefer little you bossing me around. The most adorable version of you.”

Weiss slapped her again, eliciting a chuckle from the leader but there was a smile on her pale lips as she leaned her head back on Ruby’s shoulder, keeping her eyes closed, and the leader nuzzled her temple, her hands sliding over Weiss’s flat stomach then, feeling when slender fingers curled between hers.

“I’m sure you would be very pretty pregnant,” she murmured right in her ear.

“Oh ho, me?” the smaller woman scoffed, raising her eyebrows. “Who told you I’m the one carrying?”

“Because I’m sure I won’t be as pretty as you pregnant?” Ruby tried. “Besides, I’d go crazy if I can’t hunt or go on missions. You still have your company that you can run from the house, right?”

Blue eyes opened only to be narrowed at her, but Weiss only sighed with a smile, turning her head to look outside as she held Ruby’s hands over her stomach, her thumbs rubbing gently over the leader’s hands.

“Maybe one day,” she finally said, her voice quiet and soft. “When this is over. And… When we will be better.”

Ruby nodded wordlessly, kissing Weiss’s shoulder, before sighing as she straightened her head, looking outside too.

“Don’t you think it’s strange that nothing happened?”

Frowning, Weiss took a moment to react, finally looking back at her with a confused expression.

“What?”

“When your Lancer was shot down,” Ruby explained briefly.

“That’s the polar opposite of what we were talking about!”

“I think about a lot of things,” the leader only shrugged.

Weiss sighed, returning her attention outside when she saw the serious look on her leader’s face, and she squeezed the hands in hers briefly.

“Well, my Lancer was shot down. I don’t know what else could happen,” the smaller woman shrugged slightly.

“But it was shot down. It’s been bugging me ever since you told us,” Ruby narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she was looking at something that was far away. “Someone out there recognised it as a threat. Someone, near Salem, knows that we sent this for Intel. Salem knows we’re close. And yet,” she pointed with her chin at the window. “Nothing happened. If I were her, I’d have jumped on the occasion to attack while _we_ don’t know anything.”

She sighed deeply, holding Weiss just a bit closer to her as she settled her chin on the smaller woman’s shoulder, looking at the rain pattering the window.

“I think we should sleep in our hunting gear, for tonight,” she finally said, and Weiss looked at her. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

 

****

 

First a dog, and now the rain.

This day only kept going better, she thought bitterly. She shivered under her poncho, a loan from Lucky to protect her from the cold chill the rain had brought with it. She sighed, narrowing her eyes as she walked along the narrow path on top of the walls of the village, careful to not slip and fall.

It was hard to see in the rain pouring down, and the sound of its patter would leave her ears useless as it would cover whatever noise coming farther than a few paces from her. And the dark clouds covered every inches of the sky, not even filtering the light of the moon, just blocking it altogether.

She looked back towards the village, easily spotting the inn and seeing that both windows of the teams rooms were dark as her teammates were sleeping. Well, she hoped so. She just wished time could go faster so she could join Yang and her warmth. Just one more hour, she kept repeating.

Pulling the hood a bit more over her head, never minding that her hand was dripping as she did, she looked over at the other Huntress standing watch with her, her long, spotted tail curling behind her and poking from under her poncho. She must have felt Blake’s stare because she looked over, and waved, signaling everything was alright.

Waving in return, Blake sighed again, her breath rising up in a cloud of steam. She couldn’t believe that it was fall, and soon winter, judging by the cold air being blown. This war was taking forever.

Crossing her arms to keep warm, she moved again, pacing along the narrow path as she kept her attention towards the forest surrounding the village, but the rain only made it blurry, everything moving and seemingly the same color.

She huffed in irritation, wondering why she had proposed a watch if nothing happened.

Then she froze, her instinct suddenly blaring red hot alarms as her eyes caught something amidst the pouring, and as she narrowed her eyes, leaning slightly over, she saw it.

Something moving, down there, between the line of trees and the dirt road.

Quickly glancing to the side, she realised that the other Huntress was staring at the same thing she had caught, and the woman reached for something under her poncho, quickly nodding to Blake.

She was an older Huntress, and the leader of her team. In this situation, Blake had to follow her orders, and so she nodded in return.

The Huntress brought the bright orange gun for the few flares they had in the air, above her head. It was military grade, the flare would climb up in the air and a parachute would open, the heat of the flare keeping it in the air for fifteen to thirty minutes, depending on the temperature. It was nothing like the light of the sun, but it was better than no light at all.

And so, she fired once, the shot muffled by the pouring rain.

And as the flare climbed up in the air, it sent its red light over the area, and even through the rain they could see the light reflecting on more than a hundred pair of eyes, and it would trace the edge of Grimm, covered in mud from head to toe, crawling their way towards the walls.

“What the hell?” Blake heard the other Huntress as clearly as she was right beside her. “Grimm! Grimm!”

She started shouting, returning the gun to her belt and pulling on her weapon as she pointed the bell tower to Blake, ordering her silently.

The others that kept watch sent another flare on the other side of the village, and they started shouting too, the sound muffled by the rain, and Blake ran as fast as she could, jumping from roof to roof, making her way to the bell in the center of the village as quickly as possible.

She slipped when she landed on the wetted wood of the floorboards, but she gripped the rope and, gritting her teeth and flattening her ears against her head in hopes it would save them somehow, pulled as hard as she could.

The first bell toll resonated through her to her bones, but she kept on pulling on the rope, the sound only increasing in force as she did, but she could see the Hunters running out of the houses, weapons in hands.

When she could see that the fight had started, she went to jump to the nearby roof but lost her balance, and as she stumbled, leaning against a pillar, she cursed the damn bell for messing up her hearing so much that she felt dizzy.

The ringing of the bell had stopped, but she still could hear it, buzzing in her ears and bugging her brain, and after a shake of her head, she still jumped to the wet tiles of the next roof, landing in a perfect crouch.

Until she lost her balance again, and she tumbled over, her feet and hands slipping over the tiles until she quickly reached for her weapon, planting the blade between the tiles for it to sink in wood.

She stopped as she was about to fall, her body dangling over, and she let out a short sigh of relief, closing her eyes briefly, until she felt that her weight was pulling the blade out.

“Fuc-” she yelped, reaching for the edge of the roof, but she fell again, her fingers missing by inches.

She landed heavily on her back, the winds knocked out of her lungs as she groaned loudly, the rain pattering on her face the least of her worry, now.

“Aren’t you supposed to fall back on your paws?”

A voice that slipped through the haze caught her attention, and she opened her eyes, letting out a wheezing breath as she recognised these bright turquoise eyes.

“Nora,” she managed to let out, holding out her hand.

The amount of energy with which Nora grabbed it before pulling her up amazed her, as if the smaller woman had been waiting all her life to do this, but Blake only leaned forward, her hands on her knees as she took deep breaths, the other Huntress, twirling her hammer in her hands like it weighted nothing.

“What are you doing in the mud?” she asked, and Blake noticed that she was in her sleepwear, only with her boots on, never minding the rain that mercilessly fell on them.

“I was the one who rang the bell,” the faunus let out, having enough breath back to stand. “It messed up my hearing, so I’m a bit… shaky.”

An energetic clap to her back almost made her couch her lungs out, but Nora only laughed, readying her war hammer, a dark glint in her eyes as she grinned towards something else.

“Well you better get back on your feet, ‘cause they’re coming.”

Spinning around, Blake saw that she was right; even though the gunfire and the couple of Hunters on watch, a couple of Grimm had started climbing over the walls, and she could hear, like a distant memory, familiar, the clacking of Crescent Rose firing. As Nora whooped before launching forward, Blake went towards the familiar sound, soon hearing the whistling of Yang’s heavier rounds, exploding on impact.

She threw her weapon up, the blade sinking in the wood of a roof, and after giving it a testing tug, she quickly climbed on the roof, trying to see what was going on.

On the other side of the walls, amidst the Grimm, there were a couple of Hunters, and she spotted Weiss as easily as in daylight: a bright, big Ursa was crushing everything in its path, the flare that was still up in the sky covering everything in red.

She could hear Crescent Rose firing close, and she went in that direction, quickly finding Ruby in her hunting gears, propped up on a roof and methodically firing one round after the other, her shots always finding its mark, and she quickly got to her, tapping her leader’s shoulder.

“I’m here,” she panted, the leader nodding once but never taking her eye away from her scope, continuously firing. “I saw Weiss on the other side of the walls.”

“I know. Go with her,” Ruby said quietly, entirely focused on taking as many Grimm as she could before they climbed over the wall. “Yang is my bodyguard.”

“Understood.”

And she made her way over, jumping from roof to roof, slipping a bit but her ears slowly stopped busing, and soon, she could hear, even through the fighting and the rain, the chime of Weiss’s glyphs as she got closer.

Seeing Weiss fight was always an experience. As much as it was graceful and elegant, the small woman was ruthless and merciless, fighting as fiercely as any of her Grimm, with deadly precision. But it never meant that she was invincible.

As she made her way closer, running along the slippery path of the wall, she could see that one side of Weiss was darker than the other, and whenever she was still more than a second, she would bring her hand there, panting. Before returning in the fight, blade first.

Blake jumped down, still a bit of distance between and her teammate, but she made quick work of the Grimm around her, keeping the tall and bright Ursa in her sights to keep track of where Weiss was.

“Coat!”

Whipping her head on the side, she heard a few gunshots, the two Grimm coming her way falling and disintegrating as Lucky stepped closer, twirling his guns in his hands so they were on the side of war axes, and he quickly nodded to her, before pointing with his chin.

“You’re going for the little one?” he asked, his voice raised so she could hear him over the sound of fighting.

Quickly nodding, she raised her weapon, firing in three quick successions above the man’s shoulder right in the mask of a coming Grimm, the Beowolf falling over with a quiet grunt.

He seemed surprised, stepping to the side, but he simply smirked, nodding his head, and both of them worked their way towards Weiss, firing and slashing. Finally, they met up with Weiss, the smaller woman busy of sending long, sharp shards of ice towards Grimm, realising that they would be defeating all of them soon.

As Weiss’s Grimm was chasing the remnant of the dark ones, along with a couple of Hunters, Weiss took this moment to stop and breathe as Blake finally got closer, Lucky quickly leaving her to run after the Grimm.

“Hey,” Blake said to catch the smaller woman’s attention as she kept careful watch on their surroundings, noticing when Weiss’s winced as she brought her hand to her side.

“Hi,” Weiss sighed, grunting quietly.

“Are you hurt?”

“It’s just a scratch.”

Behind them, Blake could still hear Ruby’s weapon firing, and just as she was turning around to see if there were Grimm on the walls, she saw her leader, landing on the walls in the slowly fading light of the flare, her cloak flapping in the wind, and Ruby payed no mind that she was entirely drenched as she swept the area with her eyes.

But the flare faded all too soon, and by the time another one was fired in the sky, Ruby had disappeared from the wall and was making her way towards them, Yang following in tow. As she was walking, Ruby used her sniper to kill a few of the remaining Grimm, and soon, there weren’t any Grimm left. With a sigh, Weiss watched as her Ursa ran back to her, eliciting a couple of gasp from nearby Hunters, and the smaller woman scratched it behind the ear in a well-deserved reward, the large beast closing its blue eyes.

“Are you alright?” Ruby asked when they were in range, folding her weapon and returning it in her holster.

“Weiss is hurt,” Blake reported, and instantly Ruby’s pace quickened, worried.

“It’s just a scratch,” the smaller woman forcefully defended herself, giving one last pat to the white Grimm before a glyph spread under it with a flick of her wrist. “I’m fine,” she insisted, looking at Ruby this time.

The leader slowed her pace before stopping beside them, giving Weiss a once over and deciding to trust Weiss on this, before she looked back towards the other Hunters, seeing a couple of them cheering in the red light of the flare.

“This was only a scouting party,” Ruby mumbled, her eyebrows furrowed deeply. “She did what we did with your Lancer. There’s no way she thought she would end us with this much Grimm, and there weren’t any Nevermore, or Deathstalker, or even Ursa. She didn’t send the heavy artillery, only the infantry.”

The leader puffed a breath, wiping her face with her dripping hand in vain.

“Now she knows how many we are,” she only said.

 

****

 

It was only when they were back in the inn and that they opened the light that Weiss saw her right side covered in blood, and she sighed in annoyance, already making her way to the bathroom and shedding off her bolero as Angel, who they had locked up in the room, was greeting them with a wagged tail and excited jumps against their legs.

As she stood in front of the mirror, trying to see the damage, Ruby turned to her after picking up the puppy, but when she saw her side she gasped, almost dropping the pup.

“You told me it was just a scratch,” the leader murmured, setting the dog down as she quickly made her way to her partner.

Feeling her eye twitch in annoyance, Weiss huffed, quickly getting rid of her top, wincing a bit when she had to rip the parts where the blood had dried against her skin.

“It _is_ just a scratch,” she unhappily grumbled, standing on tip toes to see in the mirror.

“But you…” Ruby’s voice was trembling, and she glanced at her curiously, knowing that despite all the blood, the wound was nothing to worry about, and she saw Ruby’s eyes well up as panic settled there. “You told me it was just a scratch!”

“Ruby,” she called, worry settling in as she tried to lock her eyes with the leader. “Look at me.”

“No, we… I have to stop the bleeding.”

Ruby almost bumped passed her as she grabbed the first towel she could see, and as she was about to press it over the wound, Weiss stopped her, angling her head.

“It’s already stopped.”

“No you’re covered in it, it’s dripping on the floor, Weiss, I _have_ to stop the bleeding-”

Her eyes were glazed over, panic settled for good as her movements were jerky, her breath shallow and uneven, but Weiss grabbed her by the collar, effectively stopping her.

“Ruby,” she said softly. “Look at me.”

“Weiss, you-”

“Look at me,” she said again, commanding.

Finally, silver eyes looked up and locked with hers, a few tears falling and rolling down her cheeks, but Weiss kept her eyes locked with Ruby’s, talking softly, reassuringly.

“Breathe. You need to breathe.”

After a difficult swallow, the leader forced her breathing to calm down, and Weiss’s hold loosened as she stepped closer, leaning her forehead against Ruby’s, never leaving her eyes.

“Just breathe, Ruby,” she murmured gently. “I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.”

She could feel the leader slowly calming down, closing her eyes and breathing in synch with Weiss, and the smaller woman reached up to gently push a still wet lock of dark hair behind Ruby’s ear, tilting her head so she could bump her nose with the leader’s.

“Are you with me?”

Ruby wordlessly nodded, blinking her eyes open slowly, and Weiss smiled when they locked eyes again.

“Hi,” she breathed.

It made Ruby huff, the leader reaching to catch Weiss’s hand as she was pulling away from Ruby’s ear, and the leader pressed her hand against her cheek.

“Hey,” she finally sighed.

“It’s only a scratch, and the bleeding is already stopped,” Weiss informed quietly. “Do you think you can help me? I need to clean it, and it’s difficult to reach without hurting myself.”

It took a moment for Ruby to answer, nuzzling Weiss’s hand for a moment, before slowly pulling away, and as she nodded, she looked down at Weiss’s right side.

“It’s just a scratch,” she quietly let out, sounding surprised.

And before Weiss could say something, Ruby carefully set her hands on Weiss’s hips to move her, silently making her sit on the edge of the tub before grabbing a cloth and turning the faucet on, waiting for the water to warm up before she wetted it.

Meanwhile, Weiss looked at her, how Ruby’s face had closed up as soon as she realised that her eyes had deceived her again, and after Angel started whining beside her, she brought the puppy in her lap, silently waiting for the leader to come back.

The leader silently sat beside her, and started swabbing at the dried blood, keeping her lips pressed together tightly.

“I’m sorry,” she finally managed to mumble, keeping her eyes down as she worked.

“For what?”

“For… this,” she motioned at herself, then at Weiss’s wood.

“Ruby, there’s no need for an apology,” Weiss sighed quietly. “You were worried. I understand.”

“No, you don’t!”

The very brief flare of anger dissipated as abruptly as it appeared, and the leader closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before lowering her head, keeping her attention on what she was doing.

“You don’t,” she whispered.

She stared at Ruby for a moment, unable to decipher the expression on her partner’s face as Ruby kept biting her lips, seemingly focused on her job, until a lick on her chin brought her attention back to Angel on her lap, the puppy tilting her head to the side and making the lip tip of her standing ear wiggle a bit.

“There’s still no need to apologise,” she still said, glancing at Ruby.

The leader chose to stay silent, swabbing closer to the cut and making Weiss frown, until the wet cloth stopped at the edge of the cut, Ruby glancing up shortly.

“Your bra’s on the way.”

“I can take it off, if you want,” Weiss offered. “Although I kept it on for you, too.”

Her joke missed its mark by a hundred miles when the leader only stared at her shortly, her face staying as stoic as it had been, before reaching behind Weiss’s back and unclipping her bra with the ease of habit, gently ripping the side that had stick to her skin as Weiss quickly slid the straps from her shoulders.

“It’s a shame, though,” she sighed, looking at the side that was covered in blood and half cut. “I liked this one.”

“I liked it too,” Ruby chirped in, already back to work.

“Oh?” she arched an eyebrow, and moved slightly towards her partner. “But do you like me better with a bra or without?”

The leader sent her a warning glare, although it wasn’t as effective as she wanted when Weiss noticed the slight twitch in the corner of her lips.

“Without,” Ruby let out, and this time her lips pulled in a small smile when she heard Weiss’s gasp.

“Why, Miss Rose,” Weiss innocently batted her eyelashes, seeing the leader’s smile growing slightly larger as she tried to stay focused on her job. “You shouldn’t-”

The door flew open and Yang entered, looking down at something in her hand.

“So I found this cream, it may be good for- Agh!” the blonde had looked up mid-sentence, and fortunately Ruby’s suddenly straight back kept most of Weiss’s chest of view, and Yang promptly turned around but didn’t exit the room, leaning a hand on the wall. “Why is it always me? And Ruby, Weiss is _injured_ , can’t you wait a bit-”

“I’m cleaning her wound!” the leader barked back at her sister, squeezing the wetted cloth so hard in her hand that it made reddish water drip from her fist, and she grabbed the nearest towel to throw it at Yang, but unfortunately it fell a few paces behind her.

Angel promptly jumped off Weiss’s lap and trotted happily to Yang, her tail wagging with even more force when the blonde noticed her, crouching down.

“Oh hello, you,” the blonde cooed, scratching behind the drooped ear. “Anyway, all I wanted to say was that I’ve got this antiseptic cream if you want it, Weiss.”

Without turning around or looking back, she threw the small bottle over her shoulder and Ruby had to dive to catch it, again glaring at her sister as the blonde started playing with the puppy, letting Angel bite her fingers as she growled.

“Oh yeah, terrifying,” Yang chuckled as she sat, and the puppy let out the tiniest bark in return.

Weiss sighed helplessly as Ruby sat back in front of her, grumbling incomprehensible things under her breath as she continued swabbing at Weiss’s cut, this time purposefully avoiding her eyes, and after she was done, she poured a small amount of the cream in her hand before gently, carefully, spreading some over the wound, making the smaller woman instantly straighten her back.

“Oh it’s cold,” she quietly let out. “And it itches.”

The leader gave a quick, apologetic smile, and tried to work even though Weiss kept wiggling away from her touch, but soon, the long cut was covered in cream and Ruby sighed in satisfaction, never minding the scowl on her face.

“Do you think I should bandage it?” the leader asked, tilting her head this way and that questioningly.

“No,” Weiss sighed, scratching her stomach instead of her cut. “Could you fetch me my shirt? It’s on the bed.”

When Ruby went, the only thing she could see of Yang was her legs as she was crawling on the floor, and she could hear the excited clicking of Angel’s claws on the floor, along with muffled growling and the blonde chuckling under her breath.

Toys. That’s what Angel misses. Something to play with.

Ruby came back with her shirt, and she took it with quiet words as she stood, wincing a bit when she slipped her right arm in the sleeve. But Ruby stayed there, looking at her. Glancing over the leader’s shoulder to make sure Yang couldn’t see them, Weiss took a moment before closing the shirt, arching a silent eyebrow at Ruby as she raised her chin higher. The leader swallowed visibly, her eyes still glued to Weiss’s chest, until finally feeling Weiss’s stare, and looked up, blinking.

Before blushing furiously, staring at the sink beside her.

With a quiet chuckle, Weiss started to button her shirt, starting at the bottom, and she couldn’t help the smile on her lips when Ruby’s eyes slowly came back to her, inexorably drawn.

But when Weiss’s hands returned to her sides, the leader only stayed there, still, staring at the last button that Weiss had slipped in its button hole wistfully, until Yang’s head popped up in the doorframe, holding the puppy close to her too as she looked at them with narrow eyes.

“It’s been quiet for too long,” Yang said as she trailed off, her eyes glancing back and forth between Ruby and Weiss. “You two should kiss!” she used a high-pitched voice as she moved Angel’s front paws, seemingly trying to make them believe that it was the puppy that talked.

Weiss snorted before leaning over, clapping in her hands twice and waiting with her arms outstretched, and Angel quickly wiggled out of the blonde’s hold to happily jump in Weiss’s waiting hands, and the smaller woman straightened her back as she peppered kisses on the puppy’s head, Ruby huffing beside her.

“Well,” Yang finally sighed as she got back to her feet, brushing her front. “I have to go back, or Blake will be pissed that I spent more time with the ‘monstrosity’ than her.”

The loud gasp Weiss made was predictable as the blonde grinned, winking at Ruby.

“Don’t listen to Blake,” the smaller woman said to Angel as she held her up in front of her eyes. “She’s just an old, mean lady who’s jealous because she’s not as cute as you.”

“I heard that,” the smooth voice of the faunus came from the door, and they all froze.

Blake was slouched in the doorway of the room, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed at them, clearly unpleased by what she was hearing. And Weiss, holding the puppy against her, only gave an innocent smile, trying to cute her way out of this.


	12. Chapter 12

The following days were filled with leaders only meetings as the other Hunters tended the wounded during the attack, fortunate enough to not have suffered any casualties, and new Hunters never ceased arriving, almost every houses occupied, now. Blake, Weiss and Yang tried to keep themselves busy, helping with the wounded or going scouting, or just to cheer the other Hunters up. But this one was Angel’s job.

Despite their efforts, the entire village had this tension in the air as they all waited for further instructions while the leaders were coming up with a strategy, and everyone started to be impatient, tired of their forced stillness. And so, in the center of the village, the Hunters started friendly sparring to keep their minds off of boredom.

Yang was one of the first to go, only too happy to burn off some steam. She was more than happy when she was put up against Nora, and as the two stared at each other in challenge, everyone took several steps back.

As the matches went on, it started to get everyone’s attention, and soon some Hunters started taking bets, until one day it even got the leaders’ attention.

And between meetings, some leaders would gladly participate, and the large blackboard from the school was brought outside, and on it was written a long list of people participating, who won and who lost.

Most of the people who entered the makeshift ring were almost instantly met by an opponent, until one day, on a very calm and slow paced day, Qrow stepped in the ring.

A sudden silence fell in the crowd surrounding the ring, and the man only turned around, holding his arms outstretched as he snorted.

“What? Isn’t there someone who wants to try me?” he said, loud enough to be heard even in the back.

Blake sighed from her perch on the low roof of the inn. Almost everyone knew that Qrow was Ozpin’s right hand. Nobody would go against him.

Well, she thought that nobody would go against him.

But when she saw Weiss purposefully shove Angel in Yang’s arms before stepping towards the ring, it made her eyebrows raise high on her forehead.

Up until now, Weiss hadn’t participated to these spars, unlike the rest of the team. Even Ruby had participated, once or twice. And the first time Weiss would go in, it would be against Qrow?

She couldn’t help but smile. Weiss sure knew how to make a dramatic entrance.

And she did, appearing from the front row and stepped to the center of the ring, her chin held high, royalty in the way she held her head and her back straight as she kept her eyes on the other Huntsman, and when he saw her, Qrow groaned with a sigh, already reaching for his flask in his jacket.

“Oh, come on,” he grumbled. “I wanted a real fight. I don’t want to go against a kid.”

The smaller woman smirked, her hand closing on the hilt of her rapier, her eyes already taking a fierce glint.

“I still have to finish the fight you started with my sister,” she said coolly, and her entire being screamed confidence.

Maybe it got Qrow’s attention, or maybe it was what Weiss had said, because the man paused mid-sip, before returning the flask to his jacket, a slow smile pulling his lips as he settled his light-red eyes on the smaller woman.

“Alright, then,” he let out, pulling his weapon from its sheath and letting it unfold to its sword form. “Let’s settle this.”

“Kick his ass, Weiss!”

Weiss’s lips pulled up at the call, drawing her sword when she recognised Ruby’s voice, somewhere in the crowd, and it made Qrow glance around, his dark eyebrows furrowing slightly.

“Aren’t you supposed to cheer for me, kiddo?”

“Eyes on me!”

In a flash, Weiss had launched forward, dashing with her blade first, and Qrow easily evade the thrust as he twirl around, using his momentum to bring down his heavy sword, and Weiss only stepped to the side, the large blade whispering against her skirt but it hit nothing but air.

In close quarters, Weiss had the advantage. Her rapier being smaller and lighter, she was quicker than him and more agile. But Qrow was smart, more experienced, and far stronger than her, and if he kept the fight at his sword’s length, it was practically a sure win.

But the smaller woman kept pressing, probably already knowing what her strength in this fight was, and she kept Qrow on the defensive, forcing him to lose ground as she kept thrusting, slashing and striking, each hit precise and always met by the Huntsman’s blade. Qrow knew he was in a bad position enough to make his curse under his breath.

“Yeah, Weiss! Teach him a lesson!” Yang cheered this time, holding Angel on her head so she could see, even though the puppy was far more preoccupied by biting the blonde’s hand than watching the fight.

Qrow spun on his heels again when Weiss thrusted her blade at him, and again he used the momentum at his advantage, but instant of striking down, he used the back of his blade to throw the smaller woman off balance, and as he was about to strike down, holding his sword with two hands, Weiss jumped back and out of the way, allowing some distance between them.

Both of them paused for a moment, taking this well-needed breather but never leaving the other out of their sights, and Blake could almost see the shiver running in the crowd as a constant murmur was heard.

The faunus smiled. Count on Weiss to give an interesting spar.

“I may have underestimated you,” the Huntsman chuckled, running a hand in his short dark hair.

“And I may have overestimated you,” Weiss was quick to retort, starting circling the ring.

It made the man huff with a smile, but Blake could see that he was taking her seriously, now. Weiss was- all of them, were leagues better than when they were at Beacon.

As quick as lightning, Qrow’s blade lowered and he fired a few rounds at Weiss, the smaller woman instantly raising a protective glyph in front of her, and when he dashed to close the distance, she raised two fingers.

Two long shards of ice emerged from the ground under him, and the Huntsman had to use his blade as lever to lean on if he wanted to avoid it, leaving him vulnerable for half a second in mid-air. But it was enough for Weiss.

With a sharp twist of her wrist, a glyph appeared above Qrow and another shard of ice was sent his way, but with a grunt he shifted his legs, adding power to his twist and enough to pull his blade from the ground and hit the coming shard. Weiss smiled with satisfaction when she heard his aura frizzle as bits of ice, razor-sharp, grazed him after he destroyed the shard.

But he still came to her, swinging his blade in a wide, horizontal two-handed slash, and she easily summersaulted under it. She just hadn’t expected the roundhouse kick to her side that followed the twist.

The smaller woman was projected to the side, quickly rolling on her shoulder and got back to her feet as she fought to find her breath, but he was on her already, and she raised her rapier to block whatever blow was coming.

She successfully blocked the heavy blade that struck down on hers with an audible grunt, still trying to find her breath, but again did not expect the kick to her hand, her rapier falling out of her hand and away.

The narrow blade sank in the dirt, out of reach, a couple of paces beside her, and Qrow smiled, rising his sword in one, final strike.

And was utterly surprised when his large blade was met with another one, a large, bright sword that Weiss held with both hands, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she kept one knee to the ground.

Out of the glyph she had spread under herself came glowing white pieces of armor that attached themselves to Weiss’s right arm with force, making her jolt as the shoulder piece rammed into her, and still holding the Huntsman’s weight on her blade, she outstretched her right arm as the armor for the arm came, and before long the gauntlet latched itself over her hand. Clenching her fist, the metal clacking as she did, she used all her strength to push back on Qrow’s blade, sending him stumbling back, and when he came to her again, she punched him square in the face with the gauntlet, and he clearly wasn’t expecting that.

The Huntsman was projected back, his sword falling from his grip as he fell flat on his back in a cloud of dust, his nose a bloodied mess, and Weiss planted the tip of her bright sword to lean on it, panting.

There was a moment of stillness, the silence filled with Weiss’s panting and Blake suddenly stood, gasping.

Well, it took everything from Weiss, but… did she just… win?

There was a laugh, slow and quiet, and she realised it was Qrow as she glanced at him, seeing the man slowly sit up and lean on one hand, using the other to wipe a bit of blood from his nose and lips before he spited a mouthful of blood, only to smile up at Weiss, his teeth red.

“Well fought,” he only said.

The smaller woman nodded, leaning a bit heavier against her blade.

“You too.”

And an explosion of cheer was heard, but the first person to Weiss’s side was Ruby, congratulating her with a rambling so fast that even the smaller woman seemed to not understand half of it, but she still smiled. After, it was Yang, bulldozing her way through the crowd to Weiss before almost throwing Angel in Ruby’s arms and wrapping the smaller woman in a tight embrace, and Blake could almost hear the bones cracking from her spot.

“I’m so proud of you!” the blonde kept repeating, ignoring Weiss’s arms flailing as her protest were muffled against her shoulder. “Man, I feel like we won the Vytal tournament!”

“Me too!” Ruby chirped, bouncing on her feet as she held the puppy closely, never minding that it licked her chin.

“I’d like to breathe!” Weiss shouted in the depths of Yang’s embrace, and the blonde immediately released her, the smaller woman gasping a breath as she did.

“That was awesome!” they heard Nora shouting, somewhere in the crowd. “Make way, make way, she’s my friend!”

Chuckling when she saw Weiss close her eyes as if she was in pain, Blake quickly got closer through the roofs, before jumping down and landing near her teammates.

“That was a good fight,” the faunus smiled at her friend, the smaller woman returning it gladly. “I didn’t know you could do that, though,” she pointed at the glowing blade and pieces of armor.

The smaller woman glanced at them, grimacing a bit, but her smile was still present.

“I didn’t know, too,” she admitted. “But I figured now was as good a time as any to try it.”

And with a flick of her wrist, she made them disappear, slowly fading in a cloud of white as Nora appeared between two other Huntsmen, the small woman shoving them to the side before smiling largely at Weiss, opening her arms wide, and smiling in a way that probably was meant to be inviting but looked more threatening than anything.

“Oh no,” Weiss breathed, taking a step back.

“Oh yes,” Nora only said, stepping closer.

 

****

 

Blake, Weiss and Yang were spread out through the village, searching for their leader. There was a meeting, but apparently Ruby was nowhere to be found, and so Lucky had asked them to find her as they started the meeting.

Blake and Weiss had left on separate ways, while Yang only stopped to look up, sighing. Trying to think where Ruby could be.

The sun was high in the sky, the clouds lazily passing by, and the constant buzzing of voices in the center of town filled the air, and she sighed.

Where would Ruby go, if she wasn’t feeling good enough for a meeting? Somewhere she could be alone but outside. The leader wasn’t the kind to lock herself in a room. And somewhere quiet.

Quickly glancing around, she wondered if such a place existed inside the walls, until it clicked. And so, she made her way to the gates.

It took a moment to spot her, a splosh of red on the sea of green, and she slowly made her way to her.

She noticed her sister was sitting almost at the foot of the wall, hugging her knees against her chest as she stared towards the woods, as still as a statue. She stopped a few paces from her.

“Ruby?”

The leader hummed questioningly but didn’t move, keeping her attention in front of her.

“You’re needed at the inn. There’s a meeting.”

Her sister hummed again, nodding slightly, but still didn’t move. Angling her head, Yang tried to catch her eyes, but Ruby paid her no mind, and the blonde could see the eye bags under her eyes.

With a quiet sigh, she stepped closer.

“Can I sit with you?”

She kept her voice soft and quiet, and almost jumped in surprise when suddenly, breaking her stillness, Ruby jerked a hand to her head, scratching it before pulling slightly at a strand, but she nodded, returning her hand to its initial place.

Slowly, Yang sat down, keeping a certain amount of distance between them, but she understood why Ruby had isolated herself as she looked over at her, noticing the slight rocking back and forth of her sister. Today was a bad day.

“How are you?” she asked, quietly.

The leader sighed, resting her chin on her kneecaps.

“I’m tired.”

“Maybe we can find something that will make you sleep,” the blonde tried, already making a list of the places she could search. “Maybe at the general store, I’m sure there’s pills-”

“Not tired in that way,” Ruby interrupted, her voice seemingly distant.

Yang furrowed her brows, looking over her quickly but her sister brought a hand to her head again, resting it on her dark hair with a sigh.

“I’m tired of me,” she said, her voice low and quiet. “I’m tired of what I’m seeing or what I’m thinking. I just want it to stop.”

“Ruby-”

“Sometimes I just want to go to sleep and never wake up.”

The blonde instantly reached over but stopped when she saw her sister tense, seeing her hand close, and Yang reluctantly pulled her hand back to her lap, but she still nodded.

“I understand.”

Ruby scoffed, harsh, and she held her knees tighter against her, bristling.

“How can you understand? I’m so tired of people saying that.”

“You think this was a joyful ride and that I was okay overnight?” the older sister raised her right hand, showing off her prosthetic, and her hard tone made the leader look up to her.

The younger sister stared at the prosthetic for a long moment, her jaw working as she stayed silent, and Yang shifted closer, sighing slightly.

“I understand the nightmares, Ruby. I had them for months, years. I still have them sometimes. I understand that you see things that aren’t there. I understand the fear, I understand how it can be overwhelming sometimes. I understand the pain. I know it’s not the same, but my arm still hurts sometimes. But it’s better than it was.”

She let out a long exhale as she stared at her sister, seeing her silver eyes fixated on her prosthetic and she raised it in front of her, looking at it, too.

“It’s better than it was,” she said again, closing her hand to a fist, hearing the gears and panels clacking. “You have to give yourself a chance, Ruby. You’re trying to heal a wound with the knife still inside. It takes time, and I know it’s exhausting sometimes. I know I wanted to give up a couple of times. And,” she added with a huff, looking around, “This isn’t the best place to heal. But we’re here for you. You can lean on us sometimes. You know that. But with time and help, I can promise you; it gets better.”

In the silence that followed, she could see Ruby chewing on her lips as she still stared at her sister’s prosthetic, tears in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall as she only sniffed, blinking quickly. Yang gave her all the time she needed, only sitting silently beside her sister and hoping her presence was a good enough moral support as she looked back towards the woods.

She should send a message to Blake with her scroll to tell her that she had find Ruby, so at least she wouldn’t be worried. But if she did, she knew Blake would come, and she didn’t know if Ruby wanted more company. She didn’t even knew if she was bothering Ruby herself, she thought, glancing quickly at her sister.

But the leader’s attention was still on her prosthetic, and this time, the blank expression was traded by a sad, wistful one as she wetted her lips.

“Were you mad at me?” Ruby asked, her voice as quiet as the breeze.

“When?” Yang furrowed her brows, confused.

“When I left,” the leader pointed at her right arm. “Were you mad at me?”

The blonde took a moment, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly. They hadn’t really discussed this when they met up with her, and the subject was never really brought back since. And now, Yang was sorting through her memories, remembering the darkest time of her life as she brought her knees up and looped her arms around them loosely, in seemingly the same position as Ruby.

“I was, at first,” she finally answered, and she could see the thick swallow of Ruby. “But then again, I was mad at everyone, even Dad. I mean, I was even mad at Weiss for being taken back by her father, so you get the idea,” she huffed humorlessly.

She paused then, sighing softly as she looked up at the sky, at the fluffy clouds slowly, lazily passing by, pushed by the wind so up in the sky.

“But I came to understand why you did,” she shrugged. “With time.”

She toyed with her prosthetic fingers for a moment, noticing when Ruby shifted slightly.

“Why were you mad at Dad?”

“Because he wasn’t out there, searching for you. Because he was wasting his time trying to take care of me when all I wanted was to be left alone, wallowing in my pain and regrets and self-pity.”

She furrowed her brows for a moment, keeping her attention on her fingers.

“I wanted to be left alone but I didn’t want people to leave.”

“But you came back,” Ruby reminded, her voice soft.

Yang looked over at her sister, seeing the soft look in her eyes, and she smiled, equally soft.

“I did,” the blonde nodded. “With time. And you will, too. With time, and with the understanding that you can’t get better overnight.”

The leader swallowed again, leaning her cheek on her kneecap as she reached a hand over and gently took Yang’s prosthetic in hers, squeezing a bit, seeing the black and yellow fingers close around her in a gentle squeeze. At that moment, the blonde felt a vibration coming from her pocket, and without leaving her sister’s hand, she reached with her left to take her scroll, quickly swiping on the screen to see the message.

It came from Blake.

_Did you find her?_

“The others are getting worried,” Yang quietly reported as she was starting to type something.

A gentle tug on her hand made her look up, and she saw Ruby close her eyes, still holding her prosthetic hand tightly.

“Five more minutes,” she murmured.

And so, after a second of hesitation, the blonde erased what she was typing and returned her scroll in her pocket, letting a silence fell of them as she held her sister’s hand, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the moment as the breeze blew quietly.

 

****

 

She woke up suddenly, in a cold sweat as the last of her nightmare was already fading away, feeling every inches of her body tense and her breath short, and she had to take a moment to remember how to uncurl her numb hands that were gripping the covers with a white-knuckled grip.

It had happened a few times since the start of the war that she would wake up like this, in a cold terror that stayed even if the dream left, and she had to close her eyes and remember how to breathe properly, rubbing her face with trembling hands.

She rolled to the side with a short sigh, feeling even more tired than when she first went to bed, and she was glad to feel the warmth beside her, and more than ever before, she just wanted to close the distance and snuggle it, but she knew she couldn’t.

Ruby wouldn’t let her.

She blinked a few tears away, feeling her throat tight and she looked over at Ruby, seeing the leader on her back with her hands on her stomach, her fingers crossed, her eyes closed and even in the dark room she could see that she wore a deep frown.

She was clearly thinking about something that was upsetting her, and was so deep in thoughts that she hadn’t realised that Weiss was awake. And again, Weiss felt so far away from her despite being right beside her.

“Ruby?” she whispered, only partially hoping that she would hear her.

The leader’s face instantly softened as she hummed questioningly, softly, but kept her eyes closed.

“Did you get some sleep?”

Ruby opened her eyes, a strange expression passing over her face, but she wordlessly shook her head as she stared at the ceiling. There was a beat of silence.

“I had a nightmare,” she quietly informed, pulling the covers closer to her.

She saw the grimace Ruby made, full of sympathy and understanding.

“What was it about?” the leader quietly asked, blinking slowly.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

Her partner hummed quietly, nodding with a sigh, and they could hear the quiet groans of Angel slowly waking up at their voices, in her small bed on the floor. She let a beat of silence pass, hesitating for a moment. But she was feeling so lonely, and she really needed someone, right now.

“Can you cuddle me, please?” she asked, her voice so quiet it was barely above a whisper.

But when she saw Ruby tense, her jaw clenching, she felt her eyes prickle, her throat tightening, and she wasn’t sure why she expected something else. So she only shook her head, sighing shortly as she felt her breath trembling.

“Nevermind. I shouldn’t have asked,” she murmured as she turned around, giving her back to Ruby.

At least, she didn’t want Ruby to see her cry.

As she heard the quiet scrape of Angel’s claws on the floor, indicating that she was out of her bed, Weiss was sighing as she wondered if she preferred to cry alone or if she should go get the puppy to at least have something to hold onto, until she felt the bed move, hearing the quiet whine Angel made as Ruby seemingly went to fetch her.

She closed her eyes when the bed dipped again, sniffling, until she felt the wet snout of Angel, groaning when the puppy tried to lick the tears that had fallen from her eyes, but before she could reach for her Ruby was already moving Angel to Weiss’s side, and the smaller woman felt her partner carefully press close against her back.

Gasping quietly, she looked over she shoulder, and she couldn’t even describe what she was feeling when she saw the sad look in Ruby’s eyes as she settled close behind her, gently kissing her temple.

“I’m sorry you had to go through it alone,” the leader murmured, hesitating for a second before draping her arm around Weiss, very carefully.

And when Ruby settled her nose behind her ear, holding Weiss as closely as she dared, the smaller woman cried without restrain, holding Angel in her arms and hearing Ruby’s quiet sniffles, the puppy whining in confusion as it tried to lick the tears away, and the leader didn’t protest when Weiss held her hand closely.

 

****

 

When she woke up again, she could see the sun pooling in the room, stretching on the floor, and it made her frown. She didn’t think she ever woke up this late since… Well, since before the war. And she felt well-rested, too.

She soon discovered why she woke up, hearing the scratches as Angel was clawing at the door. She usually was already outside at this hour, and the puppy, even if she was being a really good girl and learned quickly, had needs she had to satisfy.

She blinked slowly, wondering if she could wait five more minutes. She could feel Ruby breathing against her ear, her breath slow and deep, and her hand was limp against hers, her arm heavy around her as the leader was lost in slumber. On one hand, Angel really needed to go out, or she would take her business in a corner of the room. On the other hand… Ruby was sleeping, for once. And sleeping in, like she so deserved it.

As if it was a divine sign, the door opened wide enough to let Angel get out, and she noticed when Yang peeked in the room, locking her eyes with Weiss. She saw the blonde’s eyes flick slightly up for a second, checking on her sister, and her lavender eyes returned on Weiss, before showing her a thumb-up, and closed the door as silently as she opened it.

Weiss blinked slowly. She felt cozy, like this. She really didn’t want to get up, and with Yang taking care of Angel… There was no reason she needed to get up. So she shifted, snuggling a bit closer against Ruby as the leader sighed in her ear, pulling her closer in her sleep, and she closed her eyes.

It has never been this easy to find sleep again, it felt.

 

****

 

“Look, I get why we should wait for the other Hunters, but the more we wait, the more Grimm Salem gathers,” Yang sighed, keeping her arms crossed on her chest.

“I know,” Ruby exhaled deeply. “But I can do so much against the General and Ozpin. Lucky and Qrow are taking my side, but in the end, it’s them that call the shots.”

Blake grunted from her spot, slouched on the wooden bench of the inn as they were on the porch, and Weiss was sitting beside her as Ruby and Yang were throwing sticks for Angel, the puppy only too happy to run around, stopping at every Hunters that crossed her path as she wagged her tail.

“I’m tired of doing nothing,” the faunus grumbled as she laid down, resting her head on the smaller woman’s lap, and Weiss absently started petting her hair.

“We’ve been cooped up for almost a month,” Weiss added, scratching at the base of a tufted ear. “What are they waiting for? A sign from the Gods?”

She puffed angrily, a scowl on her face and Blake chuckled as the faunus brought a hand up, poking a finger on the crease between two delicate eyebrows.

“Yang has one too,” the faunus smiled.

“One what?” the smaller woman asked, arching a single eyebrow.

“A crinkle,” she said, poking again. “But it’s when she’s thinking too hard.”

As Blake was about to touch her face again, Weiss swatted her hand aside with a bit of annoyance, glancing down at her.

“What’s with you? Leave my face alone,” she muttered, her scowl deepening.

The faunus paused, tilting her head slightly as she stared at her friend.

“I don’t know,” she finally said, almost surprised. “I missed you.”

“What do you mean? I was here the whole time!”

“I know, but… I don’t know.”

She shrugged, turning her head away as she returned her hands on her stomach, but she stayed there, and Weiss resumed her petting, staying silent for a moment. But after the third time Ruby threw the stick away and waited for Angel to bring it back, though it seemed to be a hard concept for the puppy, the smaller woman finally sighed, apparently resigning herself to something, and she took one of Blake’s hand to press it against her cheek.

“Go on, then,” Weiss let out as if she was accepting a fate that was much darker. “Have fun.”

When the faunus only looked back at her, the smaller woman rolled her eyes.

“Well, you looked sad that you couldn’t play with my face, so…” she motioned at her before sighing again.

And Blake smiled largely, bringing both her hands up and gently pinching both of Weiss’s cheeks, making the smaller woman grunt in annoyance but she didn’t try to swat her hands away, this time.

Yang chuckled beside Ruby as she looked back at the other two, seeing Blake pulling and touching Weiss’s face as the smaller woman only raised her eyes to the sky as if she was asking for the strength to get through this.

“Pretty sure those two are together in another life,” the blonde quietly said to her sister.

Ruby looked back just in time to see Weiss pinching Blake’s cheek sarcastically, seemingly mimicking Blake, and she snorted at the sight, nodding.

“Probably,” she chuckled.

As Yang was about to say something, she caught something in the corner of her eye and she looked towards it, seeing Angel running away. As she was about to call her back, she could see where she was headed: Lucky was seemingly babbling and cooing as she jumped in his waiting hands, her tail wagging so quickly as he brought her closer, and she could hear him laugh as she started to lick his chin and face.

She smiled, huffing. Lucky always seemed so serious and even out of it sometimes, and it was good to see him like this, smiling and laughing at one small puppy. He was peppering kissed over Angel’s head when he finally stopped near the sisters, and he sighed as he looked at the pup, a soft smile on his lips making his mustache move.

“She’s so lovely,” he said tenderly, before giving her one last kiss and setting her down, but he stayed crouched, petting her for a moment. “I have news,” he let out with a sigh, the serious expression coming back as he stood.

The sisters only raised their eyebrows in synch as they heard a tumble behind them, looking over their shoulder to see that Weiss had suddenly stood, effectively sending Blake off the bench, but the faunus was quick to get back to her feet, both of them getting closer.

“You’re done flirting?” Yang only commented, and she was rewarded by a warning glare from Weiss.

Sensing the tension in the air, Angel quickly trotted to Weiss’s side, sitting right beside her boot with both her front paws on it, looking up at the smaller woman as she wagged her tail slightly, nervous, but Weiss shushed her gently, returning her attention on the tracker.

“What news?” Ruby asked, already in her serious mode.

“About what we’re going to do,” he answered, resting his hands on the stocks of his guns. “As Salem had gathered her Grimm in an open field, every Hunters gathered here will surround them and attack, and while they are distracted, we are to circle around and directly go at the rear, to where Salem is.”

“Finally!” Yang exclaimed, making her knuckles crack. “Some action!”

“When are we leaving?” Blake asked, glancing up at the sun to get an idea of the time.

“As soon as we’re ready,” the tracker bowed his head. “Since we’re traveling more distance, we leave sooner than the others. Besides, we’ll attract less attention if we’re only us, than if we leave the herd,” he said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb, meaning all the Hunters gathered here.

They all nodded solemnly.

“We’ll leave in five minutes,” Ruby affirmed, before they spun on their heels and quickly entered the inn.

 

****

 

They tried to cover as much distance as they could for the day, continuing even after the sun had set, and they had to tuck Angel in Ruby’s backpack when she was too tired to follow, but before it was too late and they were too tired they made up camp, deciding that they were far away enough to make a fire for the night, and they were thankful for that. The cold breeze in the air made them shiver as they bundled up in front of the fire, Angel laying on her side and getting toasted as she slept, close to the fire.

“Welcome back, beans,” Yang sighed, pouring the content of her spoon back in her bowl. “I did not miss ya.”

It made Weiss chuckle as Blake snorted, but they only silently agreed as Lucky shook his head, a small smile on his lips while Ruby only stared blankly in the fire, slowly stirring the content of her bowl as she seemed oblivious to her surroundings.

The first night was weird after they spent a month sleeping at the inn, with a roof over their heads and comfortable beds. Angel was sleeping in Weiss’s bedroll, so she wouldn’t freeze to death during the night, and they all could tell the next morning that they didn’t get much sleep. But they packed up again, and went on their way, Angel trotting behind Pearl as she tried to munch on the hairs of the horse’s tail, oblivious to the danger of a hoof in the face.

When they paused for a quick and frugal lunch, they turned on the long-ranged radio, hearing the constant chatter of the Hunters that were slowly departing the village, the distance to cross was roughly a day’s worth on foot, so they would set camp at a safe distance, and the next day they would launch the attack.

They had walked all day as the sun was starting its slow descent in the sky, and Blake, Lucky and Ruby had climbed in the tallest tree they could find, and Blake and Lucky were observing the area with binocular while Ruby used the scope of her weapon. They could see the very large sea of Grimm, easily spottable in the large plain they decided to settle in. But whatever they would say, this felt too easy to Ruby.

They were too easy to spot. She felt uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. Somewhere, in her mind, she just _knew_ that something was wrong, that they were forgetting something vital.

But they still went on, slowly drawing closer, until suddenly, faintly in the distance, they heard gunfire, and they all stopped, turning around.

“What the-” Yang started.

“It’s too soon,” Weiss furrowed her brows deeply.

As if on cue, they heard the radio screeching, then the sound of gunfire was heard, along with shouts and screams.

“ _This is the leader of team JODY_ ,” they heard a man pant in the radio, before he grunted and the sound of two quick gunshots were heard.

“Jade,” Ruby perked up, recognising the name of the team and she stepped closer, taking the radio from Weiss’s backpack’s pouch.

“ _We’re surrounded_ ,” the Huntsman panted, and they heard the low rumble of a Deathstalker. “ _The Grimm were hiding in the bushes and waited for us to pass so we couldn’t go back, since when are they hiding? We need help- Shit!_ ”

The white noise suddenly coming from the radio told them that the connexion was lost, and Ruby’s expression darkened as they heard, yet again, gunfire starting in the distance, but this time closer.

And it was like this for the next two hours, the Hunters slowly spreading around the area getting ambushed by Grimm, the first few teams, entirely surprised by it, finished wiped out or too heavily injured to continue the fight, while the other teams coming after that were prepared, and survived the ambushes.

Still, they listened as fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses were getting slaughtered, standing still and surrounding the radio in a heavy, solemn silence.

That’s what they had forgotten. And as they glanced at each other, they all could see the guilt on their faces.

They didn’t get any sleep, that night, the sound of dying Hunters through the radio still ringing in their ears. But all through the night, they heard the constant chatter of the teams spread out in the area for the night, making a rollcall to every team still standing.

Team JODY never checked in.

But it was a small relief when they heard the name of teams they knew.

And as there was a silence, Weiss reached for the radio, and quietly called the team in.


	13. Chapter 13

The next day, they packed in total silence, and they continued their walk, talking as less as possible. They could hear the Hunters coming across other ambushes, but they were prepared, this time, and soon, they launched the attack, the element of surprised unfortunately taken away from them.

But as predicted, the Grimm were converging towards the large arc of Hunters, sending them away as team RWBY moved closer without being seen, and when they were closing the rear, Weiss stopped in her tracks, recognising the place.

As the rest of the team turned to her, she remembered the burning terror of her Grimm at the sight of the tall and dark crystals bursting from the ground, the grass and nearby trees gray and dried, and she shuddered, her eyes fixated in that direction.

They must have seen her expression change, or heard the catch in her breath, because the next thing she knew she was being pulling in Yang’s tight embrace, the blonde setting a protective hand on her head as she rubbed her back, and Blake and Ruby quickly climbing in a tree to get a look.

Ruby swept the area, her eye glued to her scope until she felt the faunus tense beside her.

“Ruby,” she said quietly. “Ten o’clock.”

The leader frowned but still looked at the direction, soon spotting what had caught Blake’s attention.

“Emerald?” Ruby recalled her name as she lowered her weapon in surprise, blinking.

“And that Mercury guy is there as well,” the faunus muttered, her ears pulling back.

Quickly shouldering her weapon again, Ruby spotted him as he was slouched against a rock, seemingly bored out of his mind as he watched the Grimm getting slaughtered, his arms crossed over his chest. She gritted her teeth, cursing internally that he was too far to take a safe shot.

Then Emerald crossed the path of her scope, and she followed her for a moment, until her breath caught in her throat when the green-haired woman stopped beside another woman, with dark hair and a red dress, recognising her instantly.

“Cinder,” the leader growled, hate heavy in her voice.

“Ruby,” Blake said, and she jerked her head to her, about to bark something as she thought Blake was going to tell her to calm down, but the faunus was staring at something else, her eyes wide. “I think I found her. Salem.”

Furrowing her brows, the leader followed her line of sight, and she gasped.

There, another woman, wearing a dark dress as her white hair was tied up in seemingly complicated buns, giving her back to them, and as if she had felt Ruby’s stare, she turned around, staring directly in their direction with her blood-red eyes, dark veins apparent and running along her alabaster skin, and she smiled.

Both Ruby and Blake lowered their hands to escape the stare of the mysterious woman, her smile sending chills down their spines as they glanced at each other, swallowing nervously.

This was Salem. The mother of Grimm.

As they looked down to see that Weiss was still in Yang’s arms, shaking like a leaf as Lucky awkwardly patted her shoulder and Angel was jumping against her legs, they could understand why her Grimm was terrified.

They heard explosions in the distance, noticing that the Hunters were seemingly having the upper hand.

Still. It had to be now.

And so both of them climbed down the tree, Blake instantly stepping closer to Weiss and Yang, wordlessly hugging them and the blonde wrapped an arm around her, kissing her temple.

Lucky pulled off his hat then, holding it against his chest, and they all looked at Ruby, who stood a couple of paces away, still staring in the fighting’s direction. But she felt their stares, and she looked back, her expression solemn, and after taking a sharp breath, she clenched her fists and closed her eyes, knowing that this might be the last time she saw them, and she decidedly stepped closer, her team opening their arms for her.

Lucky tried to held them all too, shortly, before he pulled away, clearing his throat and quickly rubbing his eyes, taking in a sharp breath.

“This isn’t goodbye, ladies,” he let out, but even if he tried to smile assuredly, his voice trembled. “So… I’m not saying goodbye. But do take care of yourselves, and keep an eye on each other. fight with everything you have like I know you can, and-”

He interrupted himself when Yang gently set a hand on his arm and squeezed.

“Take care of yourself, too,” she said gently.

The man stared at her for a moment before nodding sharply, clearing his throat again as he tapped his hat against his chest, and he stepped back, slightly bowing his head to them before turning on his heels and walking towards his horse, returning his hat on his head.

They heard Weiss sniffled and watched her as she leaned over to pick up Angel that was whining at her feet, and held her close, never minding that the puppy licked her face.

“My Angel,” she whispered in the pup’s ear, burying her face in the dog’s collar. “Be good. I will come back.”

After one last squeeze and a kiss on top of Ruby’s and Weiss’s head, Yang pulled away, turning towards Blake with a soft smile and Ruby and Weiss took their cue, taking a couple of steps away from them, but Weiss went towards her backpack, keeping the puppy close to her as she rummaged through her bag.

“What are you doing?” Ruby quietly asked, standing close beside her.

“I’m going to leave some of her food here, so she will be distracted while we leave,” the smaller woman explained, finding the bag of dog food she had snatched from the abandoned general store.

She also pulled out a makeshift leash that she tied on the puppy’s collar, making sure it would hold, and she stood as she left Angel on the ground, and as the smaller woman ran a hand in her hair, Ruby could see her hands trembling.

“You will stay with Pearl,” she was saying to Angel. “So if there is anything, she will protect you.”

“Weiss.”

“And don’t eat too much, or you’ll make yourself sick.”

“Weiss.”

“And-”

“Weiss,” Ruby interrupted, stepping closer and carefully cupping her cheeks.

She wanted to say something more as Weiss looked up at her, her bright, gorgeous blue eyes shining with tears as she reached up to take her hands, but words seemed to fail her in that moment as she could only stare, trying to memorise everything about her face. How her skin was soft against her fingers, how her hair was feather light against her hand, how her pale lips were slightly trembling, and how her pulse was thrumming at the base of her delicate neck.

“I love you,” was the only thing Ruby found important enough to say.

And as Weiss swallowed, her face scrunching up, she stepped closer and carefully leaned over in a soft kiss, Weiss’s eyes instantly shutting as she pressed closer. She could feel the smaller woman’s hold on her hands tightened, and she would lean in every time Ruby was about to pull away, not ready to let her go just yet, but unfortunately for her, they had to pull away for breath. Ruby leaned her forehead with hers, keeping her eyes closed for a moment as they could breathe each other’s breath, and it was only when Ruby opened her eyes that Weiss smiled softly, squeezing her hands.

“I love you too.”

 

****

 

“If you die, I will never forgive you,” Blake was mumbling somewhere in Yang’s neck, holding her wife as closely as she could, her ears flushed against her scalp.

The blonde only laughed softly, squeezing the faunus against her as she nuzzled her dark hair and kissed along her scarred ear.

“I know,” she said simply.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Blake was still grumbling, clutching the blonde’s back.

“I know.”

“And break his legs for real, this time.”

Yang huffed, kissing her wife’s temple before burying her face in her hair, breathing her scent.

“You can count on it,” the blonde assured, a dark determination in her voice.

The faunus pulled away just a bit, rubbing the side of her face against Yang’s cheek.

“You better come back alive, because I want to watch the stars with Baxter _and_ you.”

“And you better come back alive, too,” the blonde huffed, smiling. “You know I don’t know shit about stars.”

At least it made Blake laugh as she leaned over to take her lips, as softly as ever, cupping her cheek with her left hand with her thumb rubbing her cheekbone.

“I love you,” she murmured against her lips, keeping her eyes closed.

“I love you too, Sunshine,” the faunus said in the same way.

Then she took a sharp intake of air, kissing Yang one last time before she leaned her forehead against the blonde’s, taking deep, steadying breaths.

“We have a job to do,” Blake said, feeling Yang nod against her.

“Can we finish our honeymoon after it’s all done?”

The faunus opened her eyes to stare into lilac ones, seeing the playful glint there through the soft look, and she smiled, nodding.

“I’d like that.”

And the blonde nodded again, straightening her back and winking at her.

“Then I can’t die. I have to please my wife.”

Blake took her left hand and brought it to her lips, kissing the scarred knuckle just above the ring that sat there, never leaving her eyes as Yang smiled, adoration in her eyes, and Blake knew in that moment. Well, she already knew, but right here and now, it hit her like a truck at the force of her realisation.

If something were to happen to Yang, it would destroy her. She could feel it as if it was burned in her bones.

 

****

 

They made sure they were careful, as they made their way closer, making sure they were out of sight and staying as silent as possible. But still, as they were about to get out of their hiding spots, a smooth voice was heard, one that they didn’t recognise.

“You can come out, now. I know you are hiding.”

Freezing in place, Ruby quickly glanced over her shoulder to her teammates, and they all had the same surprised expression. They heard a sigh, and the same voice came again, this time irritated.

“Come out. I will not say it again.”

Well, this person wasn’t very patient. But after a sharp breath, motioning for her teammates to stay there, she gripped her weapon tightly and slowly, walked out of her cover, behind one of the giant dark crystals that erupted from the ground. In front of her, seemingly waiting, stood Emerald, Mercury, Cinder and who they thought to be Salem, and she settled her blood-red eyes on her, arching a single eyebrow as if she was witnessing a very bad joke.

“I meant all of you,” Salem let out flatly, her voice ice cold now.

Ruby stared at her, her grip tightening on her weapon, the feeling of her eyes on her like ice cold daggers, and after a swallow, the leader glanced to the side, slightly motioning with her head, and her teammates quickly took position at her sides, along with Lucky.

The red gaze of Salem instantly fell on Weiss and her already pale skin visibly blanched under her stare as she visibly tightened her grip on her rapier, and it made alabaster lips pull up in a cruel smirk.

“So you are the one who has been stealing my Grimm,” she said, bringing her hands together in front of her, before tilting her head to the side slightly, the ornaments in her hair moving a bit. “You should know that stealing is wrong.”

The smaller woman only kept silent, looking at everything but at Salem, and it seemed to amuse the woman as her eyes narrowed.

“Oh I can feel your fear, child,” she said, her voice coming back to its smooth tone from earlier. “You were the one who gave your sneaking away.”

Ruby could hear Weiss’s short breaths and she could almost feel her trembling beside her, terrified beyond words.

“You can feel them, don’t you?” the evil woman was still talking to Weiss, her eyes fixated on her. “You can feel _my_ Grimm screaming in fear, and it is paralysing you.”

She clicked her tongue in mock sympathy, tilting her head the other way.

“It must be quite… unpleasant.”

“Salem-” Cinder started quietly, her eye burning as she stared hardly at Ruby, but she interrupted herself when one alabaster hand painted with dark veins rose, silently ordering her to stay silent.

“Cinder,” Salem’s tone was as cold as a glacier, but her red eyes stayed drilled on Weiss. “I did not ask for your input.”

“What do you want?” Blake growled, her ears pulled back and her grip tight on her weapons, sword and scabbard in hand.

The evil woman finally turned her eyes to the faunus, and she was met with very angry golden ones as she raised her dark eyebrows, faking surprise.

“What I want?” she repeated, before brushing a hand in front of them, motioning largely to their surroundings. “I want this world to be mine. I want Ozpin to fall to his knees in front of me, begging for his life. I want to kill him after I make him watch as I destroy everything he holds dear. Is that enough of an answer?”

“You really like the sound of your own voice,” Yang only commented.

Her stare turned to her, her smile disappearing as she hummed, tilting her head up.

“If there is one thing that I hate, it is being interrupted by stupidity,” she flatly let out, giving her a once over.

She then turned to Cinder, apparently bored of the conversation, now.

“You had some business with them, if I recall?”

“Yes,” Cinder obediently bowed her head, her single eye burning with hate as she stared at Ruby.

“Good,” the evil woman smiled, waving a hand as she started walking away. “Oh, but,” she added, glancing back over her shoulder towards Ruby, a cruel smile pulling her lips, “Don’t kill the silver-eyed warrior. I need another pet.”

“But-” Cinder started to object, but was promptly stopped by Lucky, suddenly appearing right beside her and was already mid-slash with his war axes.

The burning yellow eye of Cinder was ablaze now, a large flame boarding it as she raised her left arm, covered by the long sleeve, up to block the blow, and she succeeded to block the flurry of blows as Lucky was working like a whirlwind, until she dry clack of a round being chambered was heard, and the tracker jumped back as Mercury kicked in his direction, the shot missing him by an inch.

“She’s a Maiden,” Lucky quickly reported to the team, a bit out of breath. “Leave her to me.”

As Cinder straightened her back and was looking at her ruined sleeve in a mix of disgust and annoyance, they all could see Salem only continuing her walk towards a large dark tent, seemingly not caring about what was happening behind her. Gritting her teeth, Ruby chambered a round, her eyes never leaving Salem’s retreating back.

“Blake, you help Lucky,” Ruby ordered, the heads of her teammates turning to her instantly. “Freezerburn…”

Her eyes turned to Emerald that pulled on her weapons, making both green-guns quickly twirl in her hands, then shifted to Mercury who only stared back with a smirk as he raised his fists up.

“You hit them hard. I’m going after Salem.”

They all nodded as one, and as they all went towards they opponents, Ruby placed the large blade of her scythe behind her, and fired as she jumped, effortlessly leaping over the barrier their opponents formed. But as she was about to land a couple of paces behind Salem, the witch not even bothering to look back, she felt something close around her ankle, something cold and strong, and she looked down.

Coming from Cinder’s long sleeve was a Grimm-like arm that stretched the distance, and a dark, boney hand clawed at her leg, and as she crossed the single eyed stare of Cinder, the Maiden smirked, her huff of satisfaction resonating in the sudden, stunned silence.

And she moved, the arm pulling on her leg and threw her far and away from Salem with the power of a rocket, and she couldn’t help the yelp she let out.

 

//////////

 

“Ruby!” Weiss screamed as she saw her partner being tossed in the air.

“Aren’t you supposed to focus on me?” the green-haired woman in front of her reminded, bringing her weapons up.

Weiss gritted her teeth as she raised a protective glyph in front of her, and making other glyphs appears all around Emerald.

“I don’t have time for this,” the smaller woman hissed, jerking her hand up.

From every glyphs appeared razor-sharp shards of ice, projected towards the green-haired woman with force, but she was quick and agile, evading of breaking the shards before they could get to her. But it got her distracted enough to not notice when Weiss wasn’t in front of her, anymore.

The smaller woman appeared in front of one of her glyphs in a crouch, and pushed to launch herself towards her enemy, in the center, blade first, but she caught sight of red-eyes turning to her, twisting to let Weiss’s narrow blade slide against her green one. But as she was about to strike back in retaliation, Weiss disappeared, and was already launching herself from another glyph.

Parrying as best she could, Weiss saw her gritting her teeth, and as she was readying her blade for yet another strike, she saw the red eyes of Emerald glowing a bit.

Salem suddenly appeared near Weiss, and it was enough to make her stumble back in surprise, her grip tightening on her weapon as the witch smiled at her, narrowing her blood-red eyes. But she couldn’t feel the fear like earlier, and she turned her eyes back on Emerald, smiling.

“Your tricks won’t work,” she said confidently, quickly slashing at Salem’s form, only for it to disappear in a mist.

The green-haired woman narrowed her eyes then, a quickly fired another volley of bullets her way that Weiss effortlessly blocked with a glyph. But when she lowered it, she realised that she was standing in front of three Emeralds, now.

“What about now?” the three of them said in synch, smiling the same way.

And they all raised their weapons at the same time, and Weiss promptly raised protective glyphs, thinking fast. Then, she summoned one of her Lancer, the Grimm being fast and agile enough to avoid the bullets, and went directly to one of the Emeralds, and she grinned, following closely behind.

At the way the green-haired woman widened her eyes, she realised that this trick wouldn’t work, too.

 

/////////////////

 

“Got a new arm, I see.”

Mercury whirled back as his leg met with Yang’s right arm in a clash of metal, returning to his feet as he kept his footing light, always prepared to throw a kick as fast as lightning, but Yang kept her cool,  her fists raised, watching him closely as she matched his movements.

“Yeah,” the blonde smirked. “Wanna know how it happened?”

“I don’t particularly care,” the man shrugged. “It just means I can break it. I mean, you did break my leg, that day.”

“This time I’ll break it for good,” she said, her voice dark.

He scoffed, moving fast in a feint, but Yang didn’t rise to the bait.

“I hope you give me a bit more of a challenge than back then,” Mercury only smirked, before striking with the quickness and the power of a snake.

She blocked his blow as she brought both her arms in front of her head, and when she was about to side step to send a quick jab, he jumped, using the momentum to add power to his kick as he twisted on himself, his heavy boot colliding with the side of Yang’s arm, the impact hard enough to make her aura flash.

Pushing back on his leg, she quickly stepped in, successfully landing a few quick jabs as he protected himself with his arms, but the gray-haired man was quick fire, adding power to his kick as his boot effectively slammed against the blonde’s side, making her grunt.

But instead of stepping back to catch her breath, Yang leaned in, twisting, and fired with her prosthetic, sending her elbow as hard as she could in the man’s face, and smiled when she heard a satisfying crack.

As Mercury groaned, stumbling back and bringing a hand to his face, she turned on her heels to finish the rotation, sending a heavy left punch to his jaw, making him stumble again, but he crouched then, sweeping around him in a low kick.

Yang jumped back and out of the way, and it gave him time to shake his head, wiping a bit of blood from his broken nose with the back of his hand, but he returned to his initial position, a dark look in his eyes, now.

The blonde smirked, feeling an excited shiver run down her spine. This would be interesting.

 

///////////////////

 

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Lucky was everywhere. He moved faster than the eye could see, always pushing Cinder into defensive as she never stopped making blazing weapons appear from thin air for her to use. The Maiden moved as fast as him, matching his pace, and Blake felt as useful as a toothpick in a gunfight.

But she stayed focused, keeping close attention to the fight and ready to jump in whenever she saw the opening.

Still, she risked a glance over, wondering how the others were doing.

Weiss seemed to have the upper hand against Emerald, giving a hard time to the green-haired woman as she used the help of her Grimm wisely. For Yang, it was harder to say. The fight was so close, hand-to-hand combat was sometimes hard to decipher, but the blonde seemed to be fairing, for her part.

The crystalline sound of Cinder’s weapon breaking again brought her attention back, and she tensed, about to pounce, but the Maiden only growled under her breath, annoyed of being forced in this position. And so, as Lucky took a chance and was striking down with his war ax, Cinder let his blade bounce on the seemingly steel-hard black arm before reaching her right arm over, grabbing the tracker by the collar as runes along her arm glowed, seemingly burning in her flesh, and the woman smiled when she saw the widening blue eyes of Lucky.

Blake instantly launched forward, bringing both sword and scabbard on the glowing arm before the runes were lighten up to her hand, and she added enough force for it to buckle, making Cinder let out a sound of surprised.

She had apparently forgotten about the faunus.

But Blake heard the angry puff the woman let out as she gritted her teeth, her burning yellow eye turning to her, determined to make her pay for having disturbed her, but the faunus only readied her weapons, attentive.

But before she could do something, there was a cry behind them, and Cinder’s eye glanced up towards it, Blake quickly doing the same.

 

////////////////////////

 

Weiss was panting as she flicked her wrist, making her Lancer disappear as she made her way to the green-haired woman that was on the ground, holding her stomach and pressing a hand against the gash there. Emerald, noticing her coming closer, tried to reach for one of her green guns but Weiss kicked it aside, bringing the tip of her rapier under the woman’s chin.

She saw red eyes flicker up at her before returning to the blade, curling a bit more on herself as she kept a hand pressed against her stomach with a wince.

“Look, just give up,” the smaller woman finally said, slightly lowering her rapier. “I don’t want to kill you. I kill Grimm, not humans.”

Emerald looked up at her again, swallowing thickly, and she seemed to hesitate, her eyes continuously flicking up and down.

“ _Weiss!_ ”

A desperate scream coming from her right caught her attention, and as she looked up, time seemed to slow down considerably.

She could see Blake being held back by Cinder’s Grimm hand as Lucky was returning to his feet after being knocked aside, and the angry twist of Cinder’s face as her right arm was outstretched in her direction, runes glowing all the way down her arm as what looked like a condensed ball of fire was projected from the Maiden’s hand towards her.

Sound seemed to be muted too as she only saw the bright ball approached, and she knew it was coming too fast for a glyph to protect her entirely, barely having enough time to raise her hand before it would reach her.

But she still did, not wanting to go without a fight, and she closed her eyes as she could feel the warmth on her face grow steadily hotter, her last thoughts going for Ruby.

Remembering how she used to smile and laugh. How her eyes used to shine in the sun. Or the way her voice was soft when she told her she loved her, earlier.

She felt something ramming into her as the wave of heat became scorching hot, and she couldn’t help the yelp of pain and fear she let out as she was surrounded in heat, something heavy draped over her.

But when she heard a low groan in her ear, she opened her eyes.

She could still see the sky as she blinked, but soon, the strong smell of charred flesh made her gag and she didn’t find the courage to look down, wondering how she could still be alive after this, until the heavy weight above her shifted, the same voice groaning again.

She looked down this time, and blinked at the river of gold that was spilled over her chest.

“Yang?” she asked, breathless.

The blonde shifted on her hands, shaking her head a bit, and when she looked up at Weiss, the usual lilac of her eyes was gone, replaced by a deep shade of crimson, a shade she had never seen before in the blonde’s eyes.

“Sorry about that,” Yang smiled weakly, wincing, her voice strained. “But I couldn’t let you get shot again.”

The smaller woman realised that the warmth she was surrounded in was Yang’s, and it was growing in heat with each passing second as the blonde’s aura was frizzling, and she sat back on her heels with a sigh, wincing again.

“I still had to make it up to you, for letting you almost bleed to death in my arms,” Yang smiled tiredly, but still held out her hand to Weiss.

The smaller woman wordlessly took it and let the blonde help her to her feet, but before she could say something, Yang pulled her in her arms, softly breathing in her ear.

“Take care of Blake for me,” the blonde murmured, and she felt warm lips against her temple. “And… tell her I’m sorry I lied.”

Then Yang pulled away, knowing that the heat rising around her was growing unbearable and she smiled at Weiss, her hair glowing and smoking, and she turned around to face Cinder, and Weiss felt her heart drop, her eyes filling with tears.

“Yang…”

She didn’t know if the blonde heard her, her voice trembling and so weak, but she could see the large circle on Yang’s back, her clothes and flesh burnt to a crisp, she could see the blood seeping through the calcined parts, and some of her hair had burned, too.

But before she could take a step closer to Cinder, Mercury appeared on her side in a side kick that was meant for the blonde’s head.

Yang only raised her prosthetic, grabbed his boot, then moved to punch at the metal knee with so much force that the thing broke in half, and the gray-haired man screamed in pain. But the blonde used the metal leg she was still holding as a club, swinging, and it hit Mercury in the stomach, projecting him back as he rolled for a moment before stopping, and stayed still, out cold.

Satisfied, Yang tossed the piece of metal aside, returning her attention on Cinder as Blake stared at her with wide eyes, but she still made her way closer as flames formed around her, licking the air above her head and sending a wave of scorching heat. As the Maiden narrowed her eyes, the angry twist on her lips still present, Cinder raise her Grimm arm in her direction, about to attack.

Something caught Weiss’s attention in the nearby trees, farther than the dead area, and there was a flash of red as something came with incredible speed, and as Cinder was about to stretch her arm, a crimson blade sank in the dark flesh, effectively pinning it down on the ground.

The Maiden yowled in pain, gripping her arm as her single eye burned even brighter, and all the eyes stared at the sword that secured the arm down.

It was long, and oddly familiar as Weiss looked at it, but it was the way Yang huffed, raising her eyes to the trees with an annoyed expression, that told her the blonde knew who it was.

Before long, someone landed near them, and she recognised Raven as the bandit leader slowly got back to her feet, her fists clenched tight on her sides, the helmet on her head hiding her features as they could hear her panting.

“I have searched for you,” they heard Raven’s voice dripping with hate, slightly muffled through the helmet.

“Oh?” Cinder only answered as she was struggling to pull the sword off her arm. “I thought we were allies.”

“You killed Vernal!” the bandit leader roared, and she pulled off her helmet, tossing it to the side as her red eyes were burning.

The Maiden’s expression lightened in recognition, and she seemed taken aback as Raven steadily made her way closer, her fists trembling on her sides.

“The spring Maiden-” Cinder started in a breath.

“Wasn’t Vernal!” the bandit leader growled, grabbing her sword and jerking it away from the dark arm, harshly.

And before Cinder could even think of retaliating, Raven clubbed her sword in Cinder’s midriff, effectively projecting the Maiden away with inhuman strength.

As she was about to take off to fight Cinder, Raven glanced back at Yang, seeing the flames surrounding her as her red eyes met Yang’s, as red as hers, and there was a twitch to her lips, but she propelled herself in the air, quickly closing the distance with Cinder.

There was a moment of stillness as Weiss’s eyes returned to Yang, the blonde panting as she was blinking, glancing around, but a quiet whimper at her side made them look back, and she saw Emerald crawling closer to her weapon, finally reaching it, but when Yang turned to her, settling her crimson red eyes on her as the flames around her seemed to grow, the gun trembled in her hand.

Finally she dropped it, keeping her eyes on them as she returned to her feet with difficulty, still pressing a hand on her bleeding wound, but scrammed away, grabbing Mercury’s arm and looping it over her shoulder as she dragged him away, towards where Cinder had disappeared.

“Well,” a smooth voice said, recognising instantly Salem as they turned to her, the witch suddenly standing near them. “This was an unforeseen turn of events.”

Blake had already pounced on her, and was about to bring both sword and scabbard down when the pale hand of Salem thrusted towards her, sinking deep in her stomach, until the faunus’s form wavered before starting dissolving, and the witch gasped when Blake’s dark blade was bursting from her chest, the faunus reappearing behind Salem.

“Didn’t see that coming, now, did you?” the faunus growled, pushing a bit more on her weapon.

The witch let out another gasp, looking down at the dark blade with wide, surprised eyes, before she relaxed, rolling her eyes as if this was just an annoyance to her.

“Do you honestly think _this_ will kill me?” the evil woman chuckled, her voice as cold as ice as she effortlessly leaned forward, making the blade slip out of her form and never minding about the dark slime that dripped down. “I am older than this world, older than everything you know. It is not with such powerless weapons that you will hurt me.”

In this moment, Yang, that had been shaking her head every so often, blinking slowly, fell to her knees, her eyes returning to their lilac shade, and in a breath she fell forward, face first, the flames surrounding her earlier extinguished in one single trail of smoke.

“Yang,” Blake breathed, her eyes widening in horror.

In a second she was by the blonde’s side, everything else around them cast aside as she dropped her weapons to gently touch Yang’s shoulder, and Weiss could hear the catch in her breath when the blonde didn’t move.

“Ah,” Salem raised her eyes to the sky in a sigh, as if she was witnessing the most pathetic thing. “Love,” she shook her head as she stepped closer, the ornaments in her hair dangling. “The kind of feeling that aspire loyalty and hope. Along with foolish bravery,” she added when Blake noticed her, gripping her weapons and positioning herself between the blonde and the witch, protectively.

She clicked her tongue as she looked over, towards where Lucky had fallen, unconscious, and she shook her head again.

“It is a feeling that defines Mankind,” she let out flatly, before returning her attention on Blake and Yang as she smiled a cruel smile, raising her hand towards them. “And I can’t wait to snuff it out.”

Her eyes started to glow, and the dark veins seemed to move under her skin but Blake didn’t budge, her ears pinned on her scalp and she was practically snarling as she waited for whatever was coming. But Weiss didn’t give her time.

The large paw of the Alpha Ursa she had summoned rammed into Salem, but instead being projected away, the witch appeared a couple of paces away in a dark mist, and the Ursa turned to her with Weiss at its side, the smaller woman keeping a reassuring hand on its side.

She could still feel how terrified it was, but this one was courageous. They had been through a lot of things together, and she was ready to face the end with it, if it came to that.

At the sight, Salem tilted her head to the side, raising her dark eyebrows high on her forehead.

“Oh? Using one of my Grimm against me?” she asked, one corner of her lips pulling up. “Do you really think it is prudent?”

Wordlessly, Weiss gripped the glowing fur shortly as she kept her rapier in hand, and as soon as she let go, the Ursa roared as it launched forward, Weiss doing the same in a quick dash, blade first.

The witch seemed amused at her, but she easily avoided the narrow blade of Weiss’s rapier, and jumped back and out of the way of the Ursa’s claws, and after sidestepping another of Weiss’s strikes, the witch delicately planted her nails in the white Grimm, smirking.

The Ursa stilled for a second, and Weiss looked up to it, worried, before she noticed the dark slime that was slowly climbing its way up its leg, spreading at its back and chest, darkening the white fur in pitch-black, and this time, the terror she felt resonated in the deepest part of her, right to her core.

“No,” she breathed, her eyes widening as the Ursa started to roar and growl, the darkness spreading over it quickly.

Salem only stepped back, smiling, as she brought her hands in front of her, seemingly enjoying the show as she was taking back her Grimm.

Weiss desperately flicked her wrist, trying to call it back, but the Ursa was grounded by the dark slime, and it had reached its head now, climbing one side of its face, and when it turned to her, strangely whimpering, she could see that the Ursa had one blue eye, and the other was red.

She gritted her teeth. There wasn’t much she could do. And so, she jumped up, helped with her glyphs, quickly climbing up to the Ursa’s neck as it was turning black, and planted her rapier right in its spine, deeply.

She felt the best buckle under her, but she held on, leaning a bit more of her weight on her blade as she heard the Grimm grunt, and, panting, she leaned a hand on the still white part of the beast’s head, glancing over.

She was relieved when she still could see one blue eye staring at her, and as the Grimm started to dissolve, it closed its eyes, peaceful, now.

When she finally got back to the ground, a bit shaken by what had happened, she could see the unpleased twist of Salem’s lips as she was still staring.

“Well. This leaves me the unpleasant job of killing you,” was the only thing she said as she raised an arm.

Then, out of thin air, Ruby appeared in a flash and a flurry of petals as she was whirling around, driving with even more force her scythe through the witch’s chest, the blade sinking deeply and poking out of the cape, at Salem’s back.

“Not if I kill you first,” the leader hissed, panting.

Now the witch wasn’t faking her surprise, nor her pain, as she coughed, slime dripping from her mouth, but she pushed Ruby’s weapon back, the blade slipping out easily and leaving a splash of dark liquid from the gaping wound in its wake.

Salem raised her blood-red eyes at Ruby, her entire face twisting in rage as she brought a hand to her wound, but she didn’t say anything as she disappeared in a dark mist again.

“No!” Ruby shouted as she saw her vanishing, swishing her scythe towards her, but caught only air.

The leader gritted her teeth as she glanced around, trying to find where the witch went, and Weiss only looked at her, stunned. Ruby’s hair was matted, and she had several claw marks on her arms and legs, even a cut on her face that started at her temple and descended to her chin in one slightly curved line, the thing bleeding all over her face as she could see that she was trembling, probably as exhausted as she looked.

She must have been thrown right in the middle of the Grimm and fought her way back.

“She got away!” Ruby growled, fury in her eyes as she was spinning on her heels, desperately trying to find Salem.

But a soft sob brought both their attention back, and they could see that Blake was brushing the blonde’s hair out of her face as she cried, Yang’s eyes still half open but they were glazed over, and by the slight rise and fall Weiss could see the blonde’s shoulders make, barely breathing.

She heard the clatter Crescent Rose made when Ruby dropped it when she saw her sister, and she got closer, her breath catching in her throat

“Yang,” the leader breathed, her eyes filling with tears as she knelt beside her sister, her hands hovering over her sister. “Weiss, tell me this is not real,” Ruby pleaded, her voice trembling as she looked up to her. “This is not what’s happening, right?”

Her throat squeezed as if an invisible hand had taken hold of it, and she only opened her mouth, trying to say something, desperately wanting to comfort Ruby as the bright silver pools spilled tears on her cheeks, but only a breathless rasp went past her lips. The leader’s face changed, her eyes widening when she realised that, for once, what she was seeing was the reality, and she shook her head, touching her sister’s shoulder.

“No,” she breathed. “No, we… There must be something we can do…”

But Blake only sobbed harder, her ears flush against her scalp as she was leaned over, burying her face in the blonde’s hair, holding her left hand with both of hers, squeezing and rubbing it as she tried to give its usual warmth back.

“I told you not to do something stupid,” the faunus cried in her neck.

They watched in awe as the corner of Yang’s lips twitched, and she blinked slowly.

“I saved Weiss,” she breathed slowly, and it was obvious that getting every word out was a strain. “This isn’t stupid in my book.”

A grunt near them caught Weiss’s attention as both Ruby and Blake cried for good, now, and Weiss had to wipe her eyes a couple of times before she could discern something clearly, even if it was still a bit blurry. Lucky was slowly coming back to his senses, shaking his head from his spot a couple of paces from them, and she could see the burns on his left hand and face, and that his jacket had scorch marks, too.

He blinked as he looked up, but his eyes caught the others and he furrowed his brows in confusion, crawling closer to them as his confused expression left place for one of fear.

Weiss raised her eyes to the sky, trying to breathe, trying to think, trying to find a way to do something, _anything_ to save her friend, but her mind was so blurry. The sounds of her teammates sobbing was too much, and the only thing she was able to do was cry with them, helplessly running his hands in her hair as she stepped closer, and instantly Ruby buried her face in her side, her shoulders jolting with every sob.

“Water,” Lucky mumbled as he looked over the blonde’s injury. “We need to pour water on the wound, or it will continue to burn her flesh.”

Shaking himself with purpose, he sniffed as he got back to his feet, barely noticing the burn on his hand as he glanced around, trying to remember where the nearest source of water was, and Weiss was by his side in a second.

“Water,” she repeated, her voice coming out in a rasp. “Okay.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter to go! But as I said in a couple of comments, there's going to be another work after this one!
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you'll like it!

While Lucky and Weiss went to fetch as many buckets of water as they could, Ruby and Blake slowly brought Yang back to where they had left their bags, the blonde whining weakly at every move, and they relayed each other to pour water down the blonde’s back, keeping at it for almost two hours. Yang’s already weak whimpers and whines at the start of this only grew quieter as time went on, but when they stopped, feeling the skin around to a normal heat, the blonde had passed out.

They let Blake tend to Yang’s wound first while Ruby only sat nearby, staring at nothing as she held Angel closely, and Weiss was asking Lucky questions about his injuries, the tracker having suffered a hit to the head, and they all knew that right now, a concussion was really not a good thing.

If there was a way they could save Yang, then Blake would gladly find the patience required for this. And as she looked down at the small bottle of cream and the couple of rolls of bandages, then glancing up at the wound… She was glad they thought of refilling their meager medical supplies.

“Okay,” she nodded decidedly, trying her best to not tear up again. “Okay.”

Taking advantage of the fact that Yang was unconscious, the faunus worked quickly. The most important thing right now was to keep the wound from getting infected, and let Yang rest. And hope that she would make it through the night. This was all they could do, really.

 

****

 

She could see dark slime shimmering around her, slowly climbing over her boots, reaching up with tiny hands to help its climb, but she didn’t move. She was too tired to move. So she only blinked slowly, looking over, and she saw Salem there, standing between trees in the shadows, her blood-red eyes glowing in the darkness and staring at her, her stare haunting as she would smile with dark lips, slime dripping from her chin, from the gaping wound at her chest only for it to roll closer to her, climbing over her form and she let it because she was just so _tired_ of fighting. She could feel it engulfing her like an ice-cold, slowly rising tide against her, coating her clothes and skin in black, and she felt it squeeze her throat as it kept climbing…

Until all she could see was two pools of blue.

“Ruby?” she heard the familiar voice, somewhere, so close but distant at the same time.

She blinked slowly again, trying to focus on the bright eyes in front of her, hearing the hiss Salem let out, displeased, and the slime dripped from her slowly, returning to the ground and rolling back to the witch as she started to discern the edges of a face, the features familiar even if they were pulled and visibly tired, but there was understanding in those pools of blue that didn’t look away.

“Are you with me?” the same voice said, closer now, and she blinked as she remembered where they were.

Sound came back to her ears, too. She could hear a fire crackling softly. The leaves rustling in the cool breeze. The distant sniffling of Blake. And high-pitched whines, coming from below.

As she looked down, she remembered she had been holding Angel as the puppy proceeded to lick her chin happily.

She looked back up, blinking again, to lock her eyes with Weiss that was sitting in front of her, a note of worry in her eyes signaling to her that she must have called for her a couple of times before finally catching her attention.

“Weiss,” she quietly let out, her voice cracking slightly, and she saw the short smile her partner made in response. “I’m with you. I’m here.”

The smaller woman nodded, pinching her lips for a moment as she only looked her over, and she shifted just a bit closer, wetting her lips.

“What were you seeing?” Weiss asked in a hushed voice, furrowing her delicate eyebrows.

She kept her eyes on her for a moment, before looking over, towards the trees, and she only saw it empty. No haunting red gaze, no slime, no Salem.

“I’m sorry,” was the answer she gave as her eyes filled with tears, and Weiss raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“For what?”

“I was giving up,” Ruby said in a breath as she swallowed, leaning her head back against the trunk she was leaning on. “I was letting her take me.”

“Who?”

“Salem.”

And she pointed towards the trees, Weiss following the direction with her eyes.

“She was right there.”

She could see the smaller woman’s shoulders droop slightly, saw the quiet sigh she let out as she turned back around. She could see that Weiss was trying to find something to say, to comfort her, to reassure her. And she also could see when the smaller woman couldn’t find something to say, as she closed her eyes for a moment. She was tired, too tired to deal with this.

Ruby knew she was weighting on her partner. She knew that Weiss was trying her best to be compassionate and patient, but this war was difficult for her, too, and so far, Weiss had been the one offering comfort and support to her, and she had barely returned the favor.

She could understand why Weiss was pulling herself away, just a bit. She could understand that she was sapping her partner’s already meager energy. She could understand if Weiss wanted to let her go. She could understand that she was too much for her. What she couldn’t understand was why Weiss still tried to make everything right.

“Weiss,” she let out quietly, keeping her voice hushed, but it caught the smaller woman’s attention all the same. “You don’t need to do this.”

Weiss furrowed her brows after a second, confused.

“You don’t need to stay with me,” Ruby explained.

“I’m your partner,” Weiss flatly said, even more confused.

“I mean _with_ me.”

The smaller woman blinked, then her face scrunched up slightly, her eyes searching Ruby’s questioningly.

“Why are you saying that suddenly-”

“I asked you to tell me when I’m hurting you, Weiss,” Ruby reminded, and Weiss frowned, this time.

“You didn’t,” the smaller woman assured.

“But I am hurting you.”

“No!”

“Weiss, you’ve been giving so much to me, you’ve been so generous with me, and I know I’m hurting you because I can’t return it. I can’t hold you the way you want me to. I can’t support you the way you need it. I can barely keep my head on my shoulders, Weiss, doing this is beyond me, right now. A relationship is supposed to be fifty-fifty, but even you know that it’s been ninety-ten for a while, now.”

A series of emotions passed on Weiss’s expression, from fury to deep sadness and everything in between, but Ruby squeezed the puppy a bit tighter against her to find the courage to continue.

“I know I have been taking a lot from you. I’m taking you for granted, and I shouldn’t. I know I’m weighting on you, and I shouldn’t. So, I think the best thing for you right now is to be free of me-”

“No.”

Ruby paused as she could see Weiss raise a trembling finger in the air, before it curled back to a fist that she brought to her forehead, taking in a deep breath to calm down, but she again raised a finger to her, staring Ruby dead in the eyes, and she could see that her eyes were redder, now.

“No,” she said again, her voice tight and trembling. “You are not doing this to me. You’re not _dumping_ me when we don’t even know if Yang will make it through the night, you’re not doing this in the middle of this fucking war, Ruby, you can’t do this to me. Not now. I need you, goddammit-”

“And I’m telling you I can’t give you what you need,” Ruby interrupted, her voice trembling as much as Weiss’s as she could feel tears spill from her eyes.

“Shut up!”

Weiss’s voice broke, cracking in a million pieces and making her outburst silent but so heart-breaking as the smaller woman rubbed her hands over her face, her breath catching and her entire frame shaking as she tried to hold back her tears, but she was far too tired for that. Without adding anything else, Weiss stood abruptly and left, stomping away towards the trees and leaving Ruby alone again.

And as Weiss left, the light around her seemed to dim as she let her tears fall without fighting it, holding Angel against her but the puppy only wiggled in her arms and so she let her go, knowing that she would follow Weiss everywhere she went.

And when she looked back at the trees, at the shadows there, she could see two glowing, blood-red eyes staring at her.

 

****

 

“Ruby? Weiss hasn’t cleaned your wounds?”

Blake’s voice made her open her eyes, looking up tiredly to see the faunus standing in front of her as she was glancing around, her tired expression scrunching up in worry.

“Where is she?”

“I broke up with her.”

Pausing, Blake looked down at her, seemingly processing the new information in her tired mind, until her eyes widened.

“You _what_?”

“I said-” Ruby started.

“I heard the first time, it’s just-” the faunus interrupted as she ran a hand in her hair with a deep, bone deep sigh, settling her eyes on her leader for a moment, her lips pinched. “I’ll clean your cuts later. You keep an eye on Yang.”

Nodding, the leader forced herself to her feet, dragging them to where her sister was laying and she lay down by her side, looking at her sister’s face as she counted her breaths. She could see the bandages pocking from under the blanket that was covering Yang, could see how Yang’s skin was pale and as she took her hand, how it was cold in hers.

But she was still breathing. As long as she breathed, there was hope. As slim as it was.

 

****

 

It didn’t take long for Blake to hear her. She only made a few steps deeper through the trees for her ears to perk up, and she only had to follow the sounds.

Weiss wasn’t trying to stay silent.

She found her curled up at the foot of a tree, squeezing Angel close to her as she cried every tears her body held, her whole frame shaking with every racking sobs, and she hadn’t noticed the faunus’s presence until Blake set a gentle hand on her shoulder, making her jump.

When blue eyes looked up at her, still filled with tears, she couldn’t help but feel the squeeze in her throat when she saw Weiss’s face scrunching up again, tears spilling again, and she sat beside the smaller woman to hold her as she cried, saying incomprehensible things between sobs.

The smaller woman held the puppy as if her life depended on it, and Angel let her, trying to lick as many tears as possible, whining and whimpering along with Weiss, seemingly understanding that she was in pain, and when she saw the smaller woman bury her face in the puppy’s collar, Blake understood the name, now.

It was Weiss’s guardian angel. Her Angel.

 

****

 

If they were close before, now Weiss and Angel were inseparable, the puppy following the smaller woman to the foot as Weiss kept herself distant, busying herself with every chore she could, barely talking to Blake and Lucky and simply avoiding Ruby’s general direction.

Blake had cleaned the leader’s cuts in silence, stopping when Ruby would wince, and letting her tend to the cuts on her legs herself as the faunus returned to Yang’s side.

Night came quicker than they all expected. Lucky and Weiss decided to keep watch, for the tracker was feeling good enough for it, and Ruby was giving a report to the General via radio.

With nothing else to do, Blake snuggled beside her wife, feeling her warm but not as warm as she normally is, and she settled her head beside hers, close enough to feel her breath on her face, but far enough so she could look at her face.

Bringing a hand up, she gently brushed blonde locks aside, so light now that they were shorter, and caressed the blonde’s cheek with the back of her fingers, then following the lines of her lips with the tips of her fingers, biting in her own for a moment.

“Yang, if you can hear me,” she breathed, leaning over so she could lean her forehead with Yang’s, closing her eyes. “If you can hear me… Just hang on. You can’t die on me, Yang, I… I can’t go on without you.”

She paused, taking in a deep breath.

“You’re my everything, you know that. If you die… I don’t know what I’m going to say to Bax. To my parents. To your Dad. Even to Ruby, gosh, it would destroy her…”

She let out a shaky breath, felling her face scrunching up as she swallowed, her throat tight, but she still brushed the tips of their noses together.

“There are so many things I want to do with you. I want to go to the grottos again, with Baxter. I want to finish our honeymoon. I want to make love to you in our own house, not my parent’s nor your dad’s. I want to play pool with you. I want to make you regret playing pool with me,” she added with a chuckle, sniffling. “I want to spend days in bed with you, with nothing else to worry about than you, in the bedroom of our house. I want to see you use the lawnmower, dammit, we never owned a lawnmower back home. I want to kill spiders for you, because you hate them so much. I want to see you fix things in the house, and I want to distract you while you do it.”

She let out a sigh, closing her eyes, and she pressed a bit closer, snaking a hand along the blonde’s arm to take her hand, squeezing it tightly in hers as she fought to not cry again, but she couldn’t help the sniffles as she buried her face in the blonde’s neck.

“You’re my everything, Sunshine,” she said softly again. “You always were the better part of me. My strength. My bravery. My compassion. My love.”

She had breathed the last one, and she brought Yang’s hand up to her lips, kissing it tenderly then keeping it close to her chest, holding it for dear life as she could feel her hands tremble.

“So please, just hang on,” she pleaded quietly. “Don’t go, not now. It’s too soon. It’s far too soon for you to go, so please, don’t leave me. I’m begging you.”

And she cried quietly, despite herself. She cried over her love, the love of her life whose life held on by a single, damaged thread that even the softest breeze could break, her lasts words repeated over and over again like a prayer as she could feel Yang’s life flicker like a candle in the breeze.

 

****

 

Weiss had been circling the camp nonstop for the better part of two hours, now. She had told Lucky to go rest; a head injury, concussion or not, was still serious, and needed as much rest as possible. And since they didn’t know what was going to happen… Rest might be something that they wouldn’t get much.

Still, she circled the camp again, climbing in trees from time to time as she tried to see in the silver light of the moon, and she was always surprised to see that Angel was sitting at the foot of the tree, quiet and calm, waiting for her to get down.

She wondered why Angel was still following her. It was way past her bedtime, usually already asleep as soon as they made up camp, but now, as the moon was high, the puppy was still following her as best she could as she stumbled on a couple of roots, keeping her company.

Climbing in a tree again, Weiss swept the area with her eyes before her attention was brought back towards the camp as she could see Ruby standing in the middle of it, staring at the fire without really seeing it. Despite herself, she paused then, looking at her leader, and she sighed.

She understood why Ruby broke up with her, she did. The leader was right; it was rare that she returned the support and comfort that Weiss would give her, and she was also right that it was weighing on her, as she was used to always put Ruby before herself. She knew that Ruby didn’t want to hurt her further than she did, and that it was the best way of protecting Weiss. She knew that, after thinking about it for the rest of the day. She knew Ruby was right, that it was the best thing to do.

But it didn’t mean it would stop the pain. Because Weiss did need Ruby, right now.

She sat on the branch she had been standing on, sighing deeply as she brought her knees to her chest, and looked over to the other side of the camp, seeing Blake pressed close against Yang, the light of the fire shining on a few still wet trails of tears as the faunus was asleep. She probably had cried until she was too exhausted to. And if she stilled, focusing on the blonde, she could see the subtle but steady rise and fall of her breathing.

Her eyes moved a bit on the side, seeing Lucky fast asleep with his hat tipped over his face. She was glad he was taking some rest. Ruby should be doing the same, but… Weiss shook her head.

It was silent, around the camp. Too silent. Usually, Yang’s snores would fill the silence, but now, as she closed her eyes, there only were the very faint cracks of the fire. Not even birds were heard, for they were probably gone after all the fighting that happened that day.

And suddenly, as clear as day and seemingly echoing in the silence, the dry sound of a slap.

She opened her eyes with a frown, glancing over at the camp, and she could see Ruby raising her hand slowly, deliberately, before bringing it down on her head, hard enough for the sound to reach her ears as her silver eyes were still fixated on the fire. And she slapped her head again. And again.

She had the time to hit herself three more times before Weiss could stop her, grabbing her wrist as she was bringing her hand down.

“That’s enough.”

She didn’t care if her voice was hard as she stared at Ruby dead in the eye, noticing the flicker of life in them as the leader looked up to meet her stare. Gently pulling her hand free, the leader rubbed her head where she had hit it as a silence settled between them, and she could feel the weight of Angel’s front paws on her foot as the puppy looked up at her, worried.

“I have to leave,” Ruby softly let out as she returned her eyes to the fire, still rubbing her head.

“When?”

“You’re not coming with me.”

“What do you mean I’m not going with you?” she felt herself bristle, her hand closing on the hilt of her rapier. “Is this an order from the General?”

“Kind of. He wants me to find Salem as soon as possible.”

“The more reason I should go with you,” Weiss nodded with force.

“I can’t risk you.”

“Ruby-”

“I can’t risk you,” Ruby insisted through gritted teeth, her hand fisting in her hair as she stared at the fire wide eyed. “Not after Yang. If she dies…”

Her face twisted in an angry smirk, dark and dangerous, and before Weiss could stop her she hit her head again before fisting her hand in her hair, pulling in taut.

“I’m not letting anybody die. Not now, not ever again. So you. Stay. Put.”

Her voice was hard and commanding, but with a subtle accent of desperation as she kept pulling on her hair, but it was her expression that made Weiss pause. It was the kind of expression that she just didn’t even want to know what was going on in Ruby’s head.

Still. Ruby was still her partner _and_ leader.

“So you want to go after her in one final blaze of glory when you can’t even discern what’s real and what’s not?” Weiss argued, scoffing. “Like hell, Ruby. I’m going with you.”

“N-”

The leader interrupted herself as she hit her head again, hard, her eyes widening and her expression changing to one of fear, and she glanced to the side.

“Shut up,” she whispered.

“Excuse-me?”

“Shut up!” the leader snarled as she turned around, towards the trees, and her eyes were fixated on something in the shadows. “Stop whispering! Shut up!”

She brought her hands to her ears, visibly trying to muffle whatever she was hearing, and as Weiss was reaching to her to try and calm her down, Ruby violently shook her head before leaning over, digging her fingers in the dirt as she picked up rocks and twigs.

“Shut up!” she hissed, throwing them at the trees. “Shut it, you’re not taking her!”

As Ruby was still searching the ground for more rocks, Weiss could see Lucky stir in his sleep as he groggily pushed the tip of his hat up so he could see what was going on, and he quickly jumped to his feet when he saw Ruby’s face twisted in fury, her eyes shining with rage as she threw rocks at the trees with renewed force.

The tracker glanced at Weiss as she stared at Ruby, wondering if she should stop her or let her finish whatever she was seeing, until she saw the leader reach for her weapon, pulling it out of its holster and unfolding the scythe. As the leader was panting, stumbling a bit on her feet, Weiss and Lucky took several steps back, glancing at each other shortly, concerned.

But before they could say or do something, Ruby twirled her weapon around before bringing it down with all her might, the blade sinking deep in the ground, and she stilled for a moment, the sound of her pants the only thing filling the silence.

They both heard the frustrated whimper the leader let out, before repeatedly hitting her head as hard as she could, whining with every hit as she stepped away from her weapon, and Weiss quickly closed the distance, gabbing her wrists.

“Stop that!” she hissed, struggling to keep her grip as Ruby was trying to break free. “Ruby, hitting yourself won’t change a thing!”

But as the leader kept tugging on her hands, crying now, it was clear that Ruby wasn’t hearing her, wasn’t seeing her, and so she took a deep breath before leaning in, pressing their foreheads together, and the leader instantly stopped, her breathing uneven and shallow, but her silver eyes were drilled in Weiss’s.

“Breathe, Ruby,” she reminded. “You need to breathe.”

And the leader closed her eyes as she forced herself to take deep breaths, the tears falling helplessly as she slowly sank to her knees, too exhausted to stand, and Weiss followed, her grip loosening on Ruby’s wrists, and she could feel Angel trying to climb on her lap.

“I’m sorry I’m like that,” the leader murmured, keeping her eyes closed. “I’m trying to keep you out of this, and yet…”

“Was it Salem again?” Weiss asked quietly, picking up the puppy and settling her on her partner’s lap, petting her head for a second.

Ruby nodded, sniffling, and pulled her hands from Weiss’s hold to hug the puppy closely, scratching gently behind the drooped ear as Angel was licking her wrist.

“She whispers things,” the leader informed with her voice shaking. “Horrible things. She said she would kill Blake and Yang, and she would catch and keep you so she could torture you in front of me.”

“Ruby…”

“But she described how she was going to do it,” Ruby hiccupped, her face scrunching up. “I couldn’t- I couldn’t let her say these things-”

“You need to rest, Ruby.”

“I can’t! I can’t let her take you, I can’t-”

She muffled the leader’s words as she leaned over and took her lips. Ruby was going overboard, now, and if the leader wasn’t going to listen to her, then maybe she could _make_ her realise that she was still here, in front of her, safe and sound. It seemed to work as Ruby instantly responded to the kiss, pressing closer as she reached a hand over, snaking it to Weiss’s nape to hold her there as the kiss deepened.

Ah, to hell with it. Their relationship was already messed up, anyway.

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Lucky only hummed and, deciding that Ruby was in good hands, wordlessly left and returned to his bedroll, leaving the partners to their activity as the leader moaned quietly, desperate, against Weiss’s lips. And as she felt the hand on her nape trail down her neck, hovering over her chest and drawing patterns there, the hand cupping one breast as she felt a catch in her breath, she pulled away, grabbing Ruby’s wandering hand.

The leader opened her eyes, panting a bit as all her attention was on Weiss, and when Ruby leaned in again, slowly and softly, the smaller woman bowed her head, and this time it was their foreheads that met.

“You really should get some sleep,” was all Weiss found to say as she panted, too, trying to forget the lingering feeling of Ruby’s hand on her.

“I want to make love to you,” the leader breathed, her eyes glancing down to the smaller woman’s lips.

“Ruby-”

“I know I broke up with you, but- I just- If I am to die tomorrow, then I want to love you right one last time. I want you to remember that the last time we had sex, it was the right way. And I want you to love me, too. One last time.”

The right thing to do, in her opinion, was to say no. Ruby was offering the choice, for once, and after all they have been through, she knew that if they were going to do it, it should be later, when everything is done and that both of them are better, in mind and body.

“Please.”

But she could see a soft glint in wide silver eyes, the one that Ruby always had when she wanted to make _love_ to her, and just the fact that the leader was still, waiting for an answer, unlike just forcing it out of her mouth like she had been doing the last couple of times…

She should say no.

And yet, it was almost like second nature when she stood as she picked Angel up, marched to her bedroll and tucked the puppy in, ordered her to stay there, before turning around to take her partner’s hand and dragging her deeper through the trees, out of sight.

Judging they were far away enough, Ruby tugged on her hand and made her turn around, sliding an arm around her waist as their lips met again, and Weiss tentatively slid a hand in Ruby’s dark hair, the leader wincing a bit but letting it be as she pressed the smaller woman against her. Gasping when she felt herself being pushed against a tree trunk, she only clutched at her partner’s belt when she felt her pull away slightly, but Ruby’s hands were back on her as they slid down her sides, stopped at her hips for a second before resuming their descent, sliding down until they could vanish under the smaller woman’s skirt.

The brushing of Ruby’s fingers against her thighs, light and teasing, made her shiver as Ruby was observing her through half-lidded eyes, waiting on every gasps and moans, feeling every shudders and shivers, and she traded the soft touch of her fingers for her hands, as she made them slide over Weiss’s smooth skin up to her lower back, and smiled when Weiss’s breath caught in her throat as she squeezed the smaller woman’s ass tightly.

Pulling on the leader’s collar, Weiss claimed her lips with fervor, muffling a moan as she could feel one of Ruby’s hand move under her skirt, her fingers teasing over her panties as her other hand went up to her lower back, and unzipped her top, tugging it from the band of her skirt with an expert hand before tossing it aside, leaving her in her bolero and bra in the cold night air.

Ruby pressed against her, pulling away just enough for their lips to brush as she was still looking at Weiss, and as the smaller woman panted, she felt the leader press the heel of her palm against her, with the right angle and pressure to make her let out a breathless moan as her legs were suddenly wobbling under her weight, and she didn’t have much choice but to hold onto Ruby to keep standing. Satisfied with the reaction, the leader smiled in a mix of possessiveness and tenderness, before taking her lips again, feeling Weiss melting against her.

Without further teasing, Ruby trailed kisses down Weiss’s pulse, over her heaving chest and taut stomach as she knelt in front of her, and before disappearing under her skirt the leader looked up and locked her eyes with her as she lifted one wobbly leg to throw it over her shoulder. Weiss let out a quiet whine at the sight, then Ruby’s head went under her skirt, and the leader didn’t bother pulling her panties down as she only tugged it aside before her warm and wet tongue met Weiss’s core as the smaller woman bit on her lips, trying to find something to hold onto as her eyes closed shut.

 

****

 

She woke up slowly, feeling a headache wrecking her brain as she felt something brush against her nose, tickling it, and without opening her eyes she swatted it aside, annoyed, before settling again, feeling a scowl on her face. She could tell it was still quite early by the silence of the camp, and she wasn’t in the mood to get up just yet, so she sighed deeply, relaxing slowly… Until something brushed her nose again.

With an irritated huff, she tried to swat it away, her scowl deepening, but when she heard a soft chuckle, close to her and so warm, she opened her eyes wide, taken aback.

In front of her shone two bright lilac eyes as Yang was smiling softly, pulling the strand of black hair away from her face, and Blake couldn’t help the gasp she let out, feeling her eyes fill with tears, making her head start pounding again.

“Oh, Yang,” she breathed before quickly shifting closer, burying her face in the blonde’s neck as she threw her arms around her, minding her back. “My sunshine, I love you, I love you, I love you.”

And Yang chuckled again, the sound tight and tired, but somehow so full of life that it pulled a weight off her chest as she only held the blonde tighter against her, sniffling, but she quickly pulled back, brushing blonde strands of hair back as she looked over her wife’s face, cupping it with both hands.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt? When did you wake up? I love you so much, Yang, you don’t even know.”

The blonde settled her left hand on top of one of hers, squeezing. She looked exhausted, but her hand was warmer than the day before, and her skin was still a tad pale but she was smiling nonetheless, moving a bit to kiss her palm tenderly.

“It hurts like hell,” the blonde grimaced as she nuzzled her hand, shifting a bit. “But I’m glad I woke up. I feared I wouldn’t.”

Blake felt her face scrunching up as she propped herself on her elbow and leaned over again, this time peppering kisses all over Yang’s face as the blonde only smiled, both of them relieved beyond words, barely hearing the rustling near them but a high-pitched groan made Blake look up, all her senses on high alert.

She could see Weiss’s bedroll move, the groans coming from there, but before she could say or do something Angel rolled out of it and instantly came towards them, her tail wagging a thousand miles an hour as she was trotting closer, catching Yang’s attention, too.

“Hey, baby girl,” the blonde greeted as Blake pulled away, the puppy whimpering as she got closer. “Were you worried about me?”

Angel only kept whining and whimpering as she happily proceeded to lick every inches of Yang’s face, tumbling on her side and back as she kept wagging her tail and making the blonde laugh as she pulled her closer, cooing at her gently.

Blake was just glad she had kissed Yang’s face _before_ Angel came.

“Weiss, your dog is bothering Yang,” the faunus reported, her ears flat on her head as she shifted a bit farther from them.

“No, she’s lovely!” the blonde only chuckled, trying to calm the puppy down as she shifted, turning a bit to her side with a visible wince.

“Don’t move too much,” Blake instantly said, worried, before looking up towards Weiss’s bedroll. “Weiss, get your dog-”

Her irritated tone met nothing as she realised that Weiss’s bedroll was empty, and she glanced around, hoping to see her close, but when she noticed that Ruby’s bedroll was still clipped on her backpack, worry settled in as her eyes returned to the puppy.

“Why are you here?” she asked to the dog, as if she would give her an answer. “Where’s Weiss? And Ruby?”

Her eyes returned to spy around the camp as she slowly stood, and out of habit took her weapon with her, focusing and trying to hear something unusual around camp. It was quiet. Far too quiet for the other half of the team to be awake, she thought, suspicious.

“I’ll be right back,” the faunus said to Yang, distracted, but the blonde kept cooing at the puppy as she tried to sit. “And don’t move too much.”

The blonde only rolled her eyes but wisely stayed on her front, keeping Angel with her, and with that settled she carefully stepped across the camp, seeing that Lucky was still bundled up under his blanket, sleeping soundly.

The sky was cloudy, today, and not much light filtered through the thick cover of leaves, but as she silently made her way between the trees, settling her weapon on her back and unsheathing her sword, she found it too silent. Too still. And with Weiss and Ruby missing… Geez, if only she hadn’t cried until she fell asleep, her slumber too deep to hear anything.

She just hoped nothing happened. She couldn’t take this, not today.

And when she saw, amidst the dark brown of the dirt and the light green of the leaves and bushes, the crimson red cloak of Ruby, on the ground at the foot of a tree, and the bumps of a body underneath… She felt her heart drop, feeling it stop for a second as she quickly made her way over, a prayer on her lips.

But as she got near she slowed down, taking in the discarded clothes around the cloak, and seeing not only Ruby under it, but Weiss, too, as they both were curled up under the fabric to try and fight off the cold chill as they had used their clothes in a makeshift mattress, but the fair amount of naked skin she could see of Ruby’s back was enough of a tell of why, exactly, they were here.

She felt her eye twitch as she gritted her teeth, and mercilessly kicked Weiss’s form.

The smaller woman jolted awake, instantly grabbing her rapier that was in reach and twisted around to point it towards her attacker, blinking sleep from her eyes, until she realised who it was as Blake was glaring at her, her ears flat on her scalp.

The faunus saw her eyes widening as she dropped her weapon, then pulled a bit more of the cloak to cover herself as she glanced around, seeing bits of their clothing scattered around, and she raised a desperate hand in front of her.

“I can explain,” she only let out.

“Didn’t you two break up?” Blake asked flatly, returning her sword in its sheath.

Weiss took a moment to swallow as she seemed to think about what to say, but she only wetted her lips.

“I can explain,” she said again.

Rolling her eyes as she rubbed her hands in her face, she grunted loudly.

“Look, I don’t really care right now,” was the only thing she found to say in a sigh, and Weiss seemed glad she wasn’t about to ask. “I was wondering where you two were. Just get dressed.”

Guiltily looking down as she nodded, Weiss was about to shake Ruby’s shoulder before pausing, glancing up quickly at the faunus as her features scrunched up in worry.

“How… How is Yang?” she asked hesitantly.

“Oh yes, because you really look like you care, right now,” Blake retorted, acid on her tongue.

“I said I could explain!” Weiss countered quietly, taken aback by the faunus’s reaction. “And I _am_ worried, you know that!”

She sighed as she closed her eyes for a second, forcing herself to calm down as she could hear the slight shake in the smaller woman’s voice, and she allowed a small smile to pull her lips as she opened her eyes, seeing Weiss instantly perk up at the sight, hope in her eyes.

“She woke up,” she sighed, earning a quiet gasp of relief from Weiss. “She looked better than yesterday, so… I think she’s going to pull it off. She’s…”

She huffed as she looked down, settling her hands on her hips as she could remember what the good Doctor Scarlatina had once said, and she glanced up, her smile a bit wider.

“She’s a force of nature.”

She saw Weiss close her eyes, mumbling something under her breath before she smiled, blinking away a few tears that had formed in her relief, and she nodded quickly, gathering her clothes around her.

“We’ll be right there,” she said firmly, and started shaking Ruby’s shoulder to wake her up.

And Blake left as she heard the leader slowly waking up, then started crying in relief when Weiss gave her the news.

 

****

 

“Gee, what happened to you?” Yang grumbled teasingly as she eyed Weiss up and down. “You look terrible.”

The smaller woman rolled her eyes as she was smoothing a couple of wrinkles on her clothes, Ruby discreetly taking a few leaves and branches from her hair as Blake gave them a tired, sidelong glance over the blonde.

“I could say the same to you,” Weiss retorted in the same way, squeezing the blonde’s hand tightly as Ruby purposefully avoided the faunus’s stare. “How are you feeling?”

“Are you in pain? Are you hungry? Do you need something?” the leader was quick to ask, crawling closer on her knees, her hands hovering anxiously over her sister.

Yang huffed quietly, turning her soft gaze to her sister as she was sitting and leaning in Blake’s side, tired of laying on her front, but the movement had clearly drained her as her skin had blanched, beads of sweat apparent on her forehead, but she still smiled as she sighed.

“I think something to eat would be great. And to drink, too.”

They heard a clanking behind them, and as they looked over Lucky was setting a saucepan in the fire, a can of beans already in hand, and Weiss then scrambled to her feet to fetch her canteen, Angel trotting on her heels, and with a sigh the blonde looked over her sister, seeing that Ruby was still anxiously minding her sister. Casually ignoring the worried stares, Yang gently brushed a few strands of Ruby’s dark hair back, making the leader freeze for a second as the older sister looked over the patched up cut on Ruby’s cheek, seeing that it had already started to heal with the help of her aura.

“You know, despite the cuts, you look… Good. Better than yesterday.” the blonde reported quietly. “More relaxed. Did you sleep well?”

As a discreet blush was coloring her cheeks, the leader looked down for a second, ignoring the monumental roll of Blake’s eyes as she stilled her hands on her lap.

“Um. Yeah.”

At the faunus’s quiet snort, Yang looked questioningly at her wife as the leader shifted awkwardly, but before she could say anything Weiss came back with her canteen full of fresh and cold water, her hands reddened as she had to hold her hand under it to fill the bottle, and the blonde gratefully took it, her hand shaking a bit as she brought it to her lips.

Soon, Lucky joined them with a bowl of warmed up beans, and although it was with a small grimace Yang still took it hastily, but as her hand was shaking too hard Blake had to help her eat a bit.

“You still hadn’t answered my question,” Weiss gently reminded as she Angel climb on her lap, absently petting the puppy. “How are you feeling?”

There was a short grunt as the blonde shifted slightly, swallowing her food.

“You know,” she grimaced a bit. “I’ll live.”

A crease of worry dug itself between delicate, white eyebrows, but before she could say something else, lilac eyes turned to Ruby, who was staring at Weiss’s hands with a short, dreamy sigh.

“So what’s next?” Yang asked, catching her sister’s attention as the leader instantly straightened her back, clearing her throat quietly.

Huffing a breath, Ruby shifted a bit as she toyed with her fingers for a moment, feeling all the eyes on her.

“You rest, first and foremost,” the leader glanced up at the blonde, who only responded with another grimace. “The General asked that I find- That _we_ find Salem ASAP,” she corrected as she felt her partner narrow her eyes at her. “From what I understand, her wounds were serious enough for her to flee. We have to settle this while she’s weakened.”

She took a deep, steadying breath before glancing at her team, and she wetted her lips quickly.

“But I can’t leave you alone,” she added as she looked at her sister, making blonde eyebrows raise high. “You can barely sit on your own right now, and you can’t take care of you injury alone. So,” her eyes traveled to Blake, locking with golden ones. “You’re going to stay with her. You’ll also be our backup plan; keep your scroll open. We’re close enough of the village to still be in range to the CCT. We’ll leave the radio with you while me, Weiss and Lucky go after the witch, and if we don’t check in, you call the cavalry.”

She paused, taking a moment in case there was any objection, but the rest of the team were silent, serious and attentive as they listened to the leader, and Ruby nodded shortly, sighing quietly.

“The General reported that the Grimm the Hunters were fighting yesterday had left suddenly, probably leaving when Salem did, and they went deeper in the woods up north, not so far from here. He supposed that Salem was too injured to travel very far, and would use the remaining Grimm as her personal guard. So when we’re ready to leave, we have to notify Qrow, and he will take the Hunters to Salem’s hiding spot and work to give us the opportunity to get straight at her.”

When she paused again, the silence was almost deafening as she looked over at her team again, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

“Does anyone have something to say?” she still asked, hoping this silence would end.

“I do,” Blake raised her hand, then turned her golden eyes to Lucky, narrowing slightly. “I want to know what your semblance is. We’ve been with you for so long and yet, I still can’t decipher it. I thought at first that it was something akin to speed, but, I know what speed looks like,” she added, pointing at the leader. “Yours isn’t that at all. It’s something else, entirely, but I can’t quite put my finger on it, and as you’re going to end this and we won’t be there to help them, I just want everyone to know what you can do.”

They all turned to the faunus with surprised looks as she only kept her eyes fixated on the tracker, curious. Blake wasn’t being mean or anything, she knew she could trust him, but information was the key to work as well as they were, and this was her way to protect her teammates in her absence. Lucky didn’t seem to mind, though, as he only nodded, pursing his lips under his mustache.

“You’re right, it’s not speed,” he nodded, bowing his head slightly to Blake. “There is a reason I was teamed up with you, that I learned _after_ we met,” he added with a roll of his eyes, sighing shortly. “My semblance is time.”

The information was met with a stunned silence, before the team glanced at each other confusedly, making the tracker chuckle quietly.

“Well, I can’t ‘control’ time at will, but I can slow it down a bit. For a couple of seconds at a time. I was assigned to your team not only because I’m the best tracker Ozpin had, but also because he wants me to give _you_ the time to kill Salem, once and for all.”

“What the heck, that’s awesome!” Yang was the first to break the silence that followed, her tired voice still having a bit of cheer in it. “I mean, it must have made your team unbeatable!”

Ruby furrowed her brows as she stared at her sister as she saw Lucky bow his head slightly, hiding his face as a shadow passed over his features, and the leader suddenly realised that he hadn’t tell the rest of the team about his teammates.

“Sometimes, slowing time for a bit isn’t enough to save someone,” was the only thing he said before standing up in a sigh, and walked away.


	15. Chapter 15

As the day went on, the temperature seemed to drop as their breaths came out in faint clouds of steam, the small campfire soon a luxury they were glad to have as they bundled up under blankets or warmer pieces of clothing. Lucky had loaned his poncho to Yang, his own jacket warm enough to fight off the chill, and Weiss had found in her backpack a thicker bolero and a warmer skirt, while Blake only put a shirt on under her long coat, but she seemed to have nothing warmer than that as she kept close to the fire, rubbing her hands together.

Ruby, on her part, didn’t seem to notice the change in temperature as she roamed the camp aimlessly, sometimes rummaging through her bag, other times poking the fire, or standing beside her sister and looking down at her as the blonde was resting, falling back to sleep after Blake had changed her bandages and applied a fresh layer of cream after cleaning it.

As Lucky and Weiss were talking near Pearl, minding the horse as the tracker was tending to her, Angel sitting at Weiss’s feet, Blake petted her wife’s head tenderly before looking up, seeing that Ruby had stopped her roaming as she stood in front of a space between trees, her hands twitching by her sides.

Feeling that it was strange to see her so still, she silently left Yang’s side and made her way to her leader, noticing that Ruby was staring at a large hole in the ground, a deep slash in the dirt it seemed, and she furrowed her brows as she stopped beside the younger woman, trying to identify what could have caused this.

“What happened?” she asked, glancing quickly at the leader.

She saw the corner of the leader’s lips twitch before she blinked, bringing a hand to her head to scratch it, pulling at a strand of her hair a couple of times, before she visibly nodded to herself and stepped forward, pushing back some dirt in the hole with her foot.

“It’s nothing,” Ruby assured, her expression dark as she purposefully scraped the ground around to fill the hole.

The faunus stayed there for a moment as the leader wordlessly worked, a strange glint in her eyes, and she glanced around, making sure that Yang was still sleeping as noticing that Lucky was looking their way, the tracker following Ruby with his eyes for a moment before returning his attention on Weiss, who was talking to him. It only made Blake frown deeper as she looked back to the leader, now stepping on the mound of earth to make it flat, her hands clenched in tight fists on each side of her.

“Ruby,” she said, the leader barely looking up at her. “What happened?”

The serious tone in her voice made her stop, and again she reached up to pull at a strand of her hair a few times, but she returned her hands to her sides as she stood on the flattened mound of earth, fidgeting instead.

“I was tired, yesterday,” was the only thing Ruby let out. “I’m a bit better today.”

“How does this explains that?” Blake raised her eyebrows as she pointed at the fresh earth under the leader’s boots.

When she was only met with silence and could see the stubborn set in the leader’s jaw, the faunus sighed quietly, running her hand in her hair, and decided to change the subject as she glanced towards the rest of the team quickly.

“And what’s up with you and Weiss?” she asked, lowering her voice a little. “Didn’t you broke up with her?”

“I did.”

The firm answer made her raise her eyebrows as Ruby only stared at her feet, still.

“So, what? You can hook up again with her?” Blake said, her voice growing accusing as she stepped closer to her leader, feeling her ears lower on her head.

“It was only once,” the leader assured, and her voice softened then as she sighed quietly. “It’s… complicated. Look, just…”

Ruby sighed again, letting out a deep, long breath as her shoulders drooped, and suddenly she looked much older than she was as she stepped closer, raising her hands as she was about to rest them on Blake’s arms before hesitating for a second, but gently grabbed the faunus’s arms still, squeezing for a second.

“Just take care of my sister. Okay? And Weiss, too, even though she can be a handful sometimes. I’m… I’m going to work it out. I’ll be fine.”

The leader nodded to herself as she squeezed Blake’s arms again, shortly, offering a quick smile before pulling away, brushing past her to walk closer to Yang as the faunus only stared at her, watching her as she crouched beside the blonde to brush the tips of her fingers against blonde locks. It made Blake uneasy, to see her like this.

Like she was saying goodbye but tried to sugar-coat it. The faunus felt her lips twist nervously.

 

****

 

As instructed, Blake had powered on her scroll and even Yang’s, just in case, and Ruby, Weiss and Lucky had their scrolls with them as they departed after a quick call to Qrow  with the radio.

Weiss almost had to fight to keep Angel from following them. Even after ordering the puppy to sit and to stay, as they were walking away, they could hear Blake trying to calm her down as Angel barked and whined, the sounds echoing in the silent forest, as if Angel knew that they were leaving to maybe never come back.

The air was crisp as they walked in silence, making their way quickly through the woods towards where Salem was hiding, leaves cracking and crumbling under their boots and filling the air as the sun was dipping down in the sky, its presence hidden behind the thick cover of clouds. And when the wind turned, they could hear voices, and a steady rumble of boots on the ground, knowing that they were getting closer to the remaining Hunters.

All the while, they were sending messages to Blake, reporting the situation and assuring her that they were fine.

Soon, they came across Grimm, more aggressive than ever. They fought like they needed it, the red of their eyes shining in bloodlust as they came from everywhere at once, pouncing on them like the predators they were. But the Hunters have been waiting to avenge friends and comrades fallen in combat, and they met the Grimm with the same fierceness in a clash, predators against predators.

The Grimm were outnumbering the Hunters again, and the team tried to help them from a distance, as best they could, as they were circling around the fight.

Their job was to get straight to Salem. They couldn’t afford to take part of this fight, too.

But as soon as they entered deeper in the forest, they were met by Grimm, seemingly waiting for them. Weiss regretted her Alpha Ursa as she readied her rapier, taking in her opponents as Ruby was doing the same beside her. It would have been easier to ram through with it.

Without waiting much further, the smaller woman summoned an Alpha Beowolf instead, the large, stark white Grimm tall and lean but full of spikes as its blue eyes shone in the gray light the sky offered, and it howled loudly, making every smaller dark Grimm stop for a second, suddenly appearing hesitant.

While they were still, Ruby spun forward, mowing through the unmoving Grimm like a deadly whirlwind, and they could hear the rapid firing of Lucky’s guns, nearby. As the white Beowolf jumped on a Deathstalker, claws and fangs out in a dark snarl, Weiss dashed with it, striking the dark Grimm with lightning-fast speed.

But as they were making their way through them, the number of Grimm only seemed to increase, and as Weiss was slashing her narrow blade on the boney armor of an Ursa’s leg, barely making a dent in it, she gritted her teeth, jumping a safe distance back.

She glanced down at her blade, perfect for precise strikes when she had enough time and space to set the course, but as she could see the Grimm flooding the woods, stumbling between the trees in a growling and snarling mass of dark fur and scales, she glanced over at Ruby, seeing her large, heavy scythe slice legs and pincers, cutting deep through the armor and making the dark beasts bleed.

Taking in a deep breath as she gripped the hilt of her rapier, Weiss set a glyph under her, calling back her Beowolf to conserve her energy as she did, and as the large, glowing white two-handed sword was pulled from the ground, she outstretched her arms on each side of her, letting the pieces of armor latch themselves on her with force.

Ruby glanced in her direction shortly after making her scythe whirl around her, slicing arms and legs efficiently, and the leader quickly got closer after shooting a Creep that was running towards Weiss, covering her while she finished her summon.

“My white knight!” Ruby called with a small smile as she pulled the white blade from the ground, hearing the pieces of armor clacking together as she moved.

It made her huff as she mimicked the offensive stance of her knight, and after the helmet was put on her head as it was the final piece of the armor, she instantly dashed forward, swinging her large blade in a wide, horizontal slash, smiling in satisfaction as the heavying blade cut easily a few Beowolf in half.

The blade seemed heavier than it really was, and the armor too, Weiss found out as she used a few glyphs to jump high before striking down, cutting clean a pincer in the joint as a harsh and angry rumble was heard far too close from her. Spinning around and using the large blade as a shield, she blocked the upcoming golden dart of the angry Deathstalker, the blow so powerful that it projected her back in the mass of Grimm.

She heard the worried cry of her partner as she finally found her footing again, rising the heavy blade as she panted, sweat sticking her hair in her face as she felt her arms tremble slightly.

Even though it was a summoning, Weiss wasn’t used to fight with that much weight on her, using a blade as heavy as this, even though it was just a bit heavier than her rapier.

Which, honestly, she couldn’t understand why as she looked down at it, the blade’s height alone almost as tall as her, but she wasn’t going to complain.

A sudden strike on her right shoulder brought her back to reality as she realised there was an Ursa behind her, and as she could see the shoulder piece crumble a bit, revealing her shoulder underneath, she realised that without it the Grimm’s claws would have plowed right through her flesh.

Spinning around, she remembered how Qrow used the momentums to add power to his strikes, and gripping firmly the hilt of the large sword, Weiss decided to test it, letting her twist work for her and adding just a bit of muscles in the strike, and effectively cutting the Grimm deeply enough in the shoulder that it fell back in a groan, closing its red eyes.

Soon, the three of them successfully found each other again as the Grimm’s numbers seemed to thin, and it was a bit breathless that she thrusted her large blade in a Beowolf’s midriff, making it fall back in a dark cloud as it started dissipating, and she could see Ruby staring at her through the narrow slits of her helmet.

She also could see Lucky, after spinning on his heels to make sure there weren’t any Grimm in sight, do a double take in her direction, behind Ruby, as she leaned the tall sword on her shoulder to step closer to her partner, pulling the helmet off with a sigh.

“I didn’t think you were the kind of fighter who used two-handed swords,” the tracker commented as he got closer, looking her over from head to toe.

“I didn’t think I would like it, but actually, it’s kind of fun,” she huffed as she plated the sword in the ground in front of her, pulling on a gauntlet to try and wipe her sweat-covered face. “It’s a bit of a work out, though.”

“It amaze me that you can lift something as big as this,” Ruby commented as she frowned, her eyes flickering down to the glowing sword.

“It’s not that heavy,” she shrugged, easily pulling on it and offering it to her partner.

The leader raised her eyebrows at that as Weiss held it sideways and with one hand, barely shaking, and after a quick glance up at her to make sure she wasn’t faking, Ruby confidently wrapped her hand on the sword’s hilt.

But as soon as Weiss’s hand pulled away, the leader instantly groaned, straining, and used both her hands to keep the sword up, her face changing color in her effort.

“How can you say that it’s not that heavy,” Ruby grumbled as she panted, quickly manoeuvring to plant the sword in the ground again as she leaned on it to catch her breath. “It feels easily twice the weight of Crescent Rose!”

“Huh,” was the only thing Weiss let out as she lowered her eyes to the glowing sword, frowning slightly. “It must feel lighter because it’s mine.”

“We should get going,” Lucky let out after inspecting Weiss silently for a moment, returning his guns to their holsters. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay in the same place for too long.”

Ruby nodded, puffing one last time as she narrowed her eyes to the large glowing blade, before folding her scythe to its gun form and keeping it in hand as she started away, further in the trees, as Weiss pulled on her sword again, leaning it on her shoulder.

It was easier to carry this way. And as long as the fight wasn’t over, she wouldn’t send the armor or blade away, for it took so much time to summon it all. Besides, it was less draining than summoning her knight, even in his normal size, so she knew she was good for a good while. As Lucky closed the march, she looked over the damaged armor on her shoulder, and as she hung her helmet on the cross the hilt of the sword made, she pulled on the gauntlet of her left hand and reach for her shoulder, feeling the metal bent over as the claws had plowed through.

Quickly passing her hand over it, the piece glowed brighter for a second, the dent slowly closing as the metal unfolded, and soon the shoulder piece wasn’t damaged anymore, and Weiss put her gauntlet back on, satisfied, and took her helmet back, leaning it under her arm against her hip as she followed the leader, glancing around.

They could hear the fighting of the Hunters in the distance, and as Lucky and Weiss kept a careful watch on their surroundings, Ruby pulled out her scroll to give some news to Blake and Yang, quickly. And as she returned her scroll in the pocket of her skirt, Ruby stopped dead in her tracks suddenly, her eyes looking down.

As she got closer to her partner, she heard Lucky do the same as the leader crouched slowly, using the tip of her weapon to poke a gray mass at her feet, and it was only when Ruby flipped it over that she realised what it was.

It was a hare, dead and dried as if it was dead for a while, but its fur was still silky, and its skin was sticking on the bones underneath, the animal far too skinny to be natural. It looked like it had been drained from inside.

They glanced at each other as Ruby stood again, and the leader quickly walked forward, her features pulled and hard as she jogged for a moment, coming across more dead animals: other hares, birds, foxes, even. Soon, they stopped as they could see the green grass turn yellow, dry and dead, and even the trees were leafless and gray, the grass there looking more like ash than the vegetation it once was.

Well, they were in the right direction.

Quickly glancing over her shoulder, Ruby nodded at Weiss, then at Lucky, and after unfolding her scythe, they carefully made their way forward, towards the dead zone.

It didn’t take long for something to come at them. Lightning fast, a long, narrow shard of dark crystal came flying between the trees, and Ruby jumped to the side out of instinct, raising her weapon, but she wasn’t fast enough to block it, nor to avoid it as it collided with the leader’s right shoulder, bursting in a million pieces upon impact. Ruby let out a sharp cry of pain as she whirled back, her aura frizzling and flashing as she dropped to a knee, her weapon falling from her grasp as she brought a hand to her shoulder, but Weiss stepped right in front of her partner, blocking the next few shard coming in quick succession with her large blade, planting her helmet on her head.

Lucky shot a few times in the direction where the shards were coming from, and in the stillness that followed, a narrow trail of steam was swirling up in the air from the cannons of his guns as he swiped the area with them, stepping closer to the partners as Ruby opened and closed her right hand a few times, testing.

“You alright, Red?”

As the leader nodded, Weiss noticed a flash from their right, and without hesitation she swished her sword in front of her partner there, and in the same motion jerked her hand forward, sending three shard in this direction as the dark crystal broke on her sword.

Then silence, as the breeze blew a couple of dead leaves at their feet, making them roll and tumble over.

The next strike came from the left, and this time it was Lucky that shot them down before spraying a volley of bullets in the general area of where it came from as Ruby stood, rolling her right shoulder to make sure it was alright before taking back her weapon, ready.

But before they could move or say something, a low, smooth laugh was heard, seemingly echoing around them with no point of origin, and they instantly recognised the voice.

“What have we here?” Salem’s voice was still chuckling. “A silver-eyed warrior, a thief, and… Who are you again?”

“Someone who will help your demise,” Lucky replied forcefully, the grip on his guns tightening as he gave his back to Ruby and Weiss, the other two doing the same.

A scoff coming from everywhere was heard, wrapping around them like the wind.

“Please,” they could hear the roll of eyes coming with the word. “If you only knew the number of men I killed because they said the same thing. Maybe you will be one of them, soon.”

He responded with a volley of bullets, a few of them only ending in tree trunks and making splinted wood fly, but Salem laughed again, seemingly finding this reaction very amusing.

“And you, thief,” the voice hardened as Weiss glanced around, widening her stance, prepared to block anything that came her way. “Am I going to have to rip my Grimm from you, one by one? Because I know it can be very painful for the bearer.”

“How do you know that?” she felt herself bristle, feeling Ruby unconsciously step closer to her as she could see her dark head glancing frantically around.

“Oh, because you think I never fought someone with powers similar to yours?” the witch scoffed, an arrogant smile almost visible through the trees. “I fought many Huntsmen and Huntresses, child. I fought many Schnee throughout my life, but I must admit, you are the first one that didn’t offer me your name as if I should cower in front of it. In the end,” there was a short pause as they could hear a slight sigh, as if Salem was thinking back of her previous fights with fondness. “I always made them pay for stealing what was mine. And that is what I am going to do with you, too. Rip them all from you until you die from it.”

The amount of venom in her voice, cold and deadly, send a shiver down her spine as she felt her breath catch in her throat, trying to ignore the cold terror that wanted to paralyze her entire being, and the harsh sound of Ruby chambering a round in her weapon made her jump as she was brought back to reality.

“Not on my watch,” the leader snarled, glowering at the trees around them, holding her weapon ready.

There was a hum then, almost sounding soft as the breeze blew by again, and as Ruby was puffing a breath, her face was hidden by a cloud of white steam for a second.

“Does me threatening the thief upsets you, warrior?” Salem chuckled darkly, her voice smooth and swirling around them like the wind, wrapping them in her venom. “You don’t like when I say that I am going to torture her?”

The anger on the leader’s face suddenly wavered as her eyes widened, and she felt the shudder through her partner’s body as Ruby blinked a few times, her attention suddenly not so sharp, now.

“I am going to make her scream,” the witch said smoothly, her voice wrapping around them like a blanket of broken shards of glass. “I am going to make her beg me to kill her. I will rip every ounce of life from her until her voice breaks, and I will make you watch, since it upsets you this much.”

The leader brought a hand to her head, confused and scared, pressing it against her head as Salem talked, and when Ruby hit her head, it only made the evil witch laugh again, delighted by the reaction.

“You really don’t like when I threaten her,” she purred, pleased.

“Ruby, focus,” Weiss said, glancing over her shoulder at her partner.

She waited until Ruby looked up at her, locking her eyes with her, and when she did she gave a small nod, seeing that the haggard look in silver eyes slowly faded as her eyes cleared, but as her attention was somewhere else…

She felt something ram against her side, the wind knocked from her lungs as the piece of armor there shattered in pieces from the force of the impact as it effectively sent her stumbling, and as Ruby’s eyes widened in fear and fury, locked on her, she felt another shard blasting the armor on her back, this time sending her down on her front, her nose in the dirt.

As she groaned, pain lancing in her side and back, she could feel her aura shiver as she panted, and it was with a bit of difficulty that she got back to her feet, feeling a steel grip on her arm helping her to her feet and finding Lucky there, his eyes drilled on their surroundings, and angry twist to his lips making his mustache look crooked.

“You okay?” the tracker asked quickly, his eyes never leaving the trees.

“If you touch her again,” Ruby let out, her voice shaking in rage as she held her weapon with so much force that it trembled. “I will find you, and I will _hurt_ you.”

“Oh?” there was a short pause, and then soft sound, as if Salem just now understood something that was evident. “Is she yours? Is that why the simple thought of me hurting her is making you so desperately, beautifully angry?”

At Ruby’s prolonged silence, she laughed again, her voice echoing painfully around them, ringing in their ears and scratching their bones, but Ruby only set her jaw, her eyes shining with a new light as she scanned the trees around them, protectively standing a bit more in front of her partner.

“Ah, this is perfect,” the witch finally calmed down, talking in a soft sigh. “Then I have all the more reasons to take the both of you alive, and I will make her suffer in front of you until your eyes shine bright, like I have seen so many of them shine before-”

“You really do like the sound of your own voice,” Weiss rudely interrupted as she panted slightly, holding her weapon with slightly trembling hands.

Her armor breaking was more draining than she had thought, but then again, it was harder than her aura alone. If she wasn’t wearing it, the two shards she took would have gored her to death, for sure, but now she was tiring quickly. And just as she had hoped, her interruption was met with an angry hiss, and there, in the shadows.

Two glowing, blood-red eyes staring straight at them.

She was only too glad when Ruby instantly noticed them and, as quick as lightning, shouldered her weapon and fired.

A sharp cry of pain ripped through the air at the same time that Ruby whirled her scythe around and fired at the ground, using the force of her shot to propel her forcefully towards the cry in a deadly whirl, her shining silver eyes drilled with lethal focus on her objective.

Another cry was heard as the leader hit her mark, the witch’s voice not surrounding them anymore as the trees surrounding them were illuminated with light again, the shadows disappearing, and whatever trick Salem had pulled not in function as the witch was distracted with Ruby’s scythe buried deep in her chest again.

Couching once, the witch harshly pulled back, freeing herself from the sharp steel of Crescent Rose, and before Ruby could do something she disappeared in a mist, making the leader growl under her breath as she glanced around, a dark look in her eyes.

Keeping all her senses on high alert, Weiss did the same as Ruby, trying to find the witch, seeing Lucky swipe the area again with his guns, and as she looked back to check the other side, she felt the hair on her neck stand as she heard a wheezing breath, close to her ear, closer than she liked. And as she spun on her heels, she felt her heart drop as she heard a squelching sound, hearing a pained and strangled groan.

Salem had appeared soundlessly right behind her and Lucky, and she had planted her dark, long nails in his throat before piercing his chest with her other hand, the tracker gurgling quietly as the witch panted in his ear.

“I’m taking you before I leave,” she said, leaving a few droplets of slime on the side of his face and shell of his ear. “I have to keep lengthening my list.”

As the tracker dropped his guns to bring trembling hands to his chest, wanting to take hold of what was bursting out of it, the witch pulled away sharply, her arm coated in blood up to her elbow, and she stumbled as he fell to his knees.

“ _Lucky_!” Ruby and Weiss shouted in synch, panic seizing their entire beings as the tracker’s hat fell from his head.

Without thinking, Weiss dashed forward in a quick slash, Salem evading it by an inch as she wheezed, before one pale hand used her dark nails, still dripping of Lucky’s blood, to claw at her face, only to find purchase on her helmet and easily denting the metal as if her nails were made of steel.

She felt a flash of pain as pieces of her helmet fell, feeling something warm spill over her face, but she only gritted her teeth in a hiss, stomping her foot like she had seen Yang do so many times before, and brought her clenched gauntlet in the witch’s face as hard as she could.

The shock of the hit reverberated all the way up to her shoulder as if she had hit a wall of concrete, but she still heard a very offended and chocked sound as a loud crack was heard, and as blood-red eyes narrowed at her, feeling the murderous intent just with this stare, she froze in fear, her whole body screaming in terror.

But Salem only could take a single step forward, and reached a hand up.

In a loud swish of wind, Ruby’s red and black scythe passed right before her eyes, the sharp steel of the blade biting in the witch’s arm and cutting it clean from the shoulder.

The scream that followed was ear-piercing. Weiss couldn’t do much but drop to her knees and cover her ears, even when the sound stopped, and as her ears were still ringing she looked up, seeing that Salem was stumbling back as her face was twisted in fury, and Ruby was trying to get back to her feet as best she could, shaking her head.

Then her eyes fell on Lucky, still on his knees, as he was hunched over and about to fall forward as he coughed.

Weiss almost dived to catch him, the sound slowly coming back to her ears as the tracker shook against her, couching and gurgling, and she realised that Salem must have pierced a lung, because he was drowning in his own blood. She felt tears spilling from her eyes as she held him, knowing that there was nothing she could do to help him, and Lucky clutched at her back, fighting to take a breath, until he stopped moving, his entire frame shook by one last shudder.

And as Ruby glanced back over her shoulder, she saw the Huntsman’s form glow, and slowly his body was dispersed in the wind in a cloud of shining dust as Weiss’s arms closed on thin air, the only thing remaining from Lucky being his beloved hat, and both his guns, forgotten on the ground.

For a second, everything was still as Weiss hiccupped, her eyes wide and staring at nothing as she could feel the warm blood on her shoulder and chest, the feeling on Lucky’s body in her arms still lingering, until she heard the _howling_ Ruby let out.

“No!” the leader screamed, tears falling freely on her cheeks. “No!”

She hit her head, hard, a few times, wanting to come out of this nightmare before she realised that it was real, and as she turned towards Salem, snarling and growling, rage twisting her face, she gripped her weapon tightly, her knuckles turning white.

“You’ll pay for this,” she screeched through gritted teeth, her eyes shining bright. “I’ll make you pay!”

With a huff, the witch’s lips twitched up in a smile, and as she leaned her back against a tree, she rolled around it, seemingly trying to make a run for it. Ruby instantly followed with a snarl, and Weiss did, too.

Now was not the time for grief, after all.

Whatever Salem wanted to do, she didn’t go far. Maybe it was because she was too injured, too weak now, or because they were faster than her, but she stopped in a clearing, near a Cliffside, and after a glance towards them as they jumped out of the treeline, she smiled, raising a single finger in the air.

With her dark nail, she tore the space in front of her, and a dark and swirling emerged from the tear in what looked like a portal, and before they could say something, Salem was already stepping in it, grimacing in pain.

Again, Ruby instantly followed, her eyes shining as her lips were twisted angrily.

“I won’t let you get away!” she barked, firing behind her to add some speed to her run.

The leader had fired without looking, and Weiss had to jump to the side to avoid the shot but she set a glyph under her feet, and zipped forward right behind her partner, covering the distance in a flash. Whirling her scythe, Ruby dived in the portal blade first, and right behind her, Weiss jumped, too.

Only for the dark and swirling pattern to suddenly vanish in front of her.

Blinking, she realised that she was falling at full speed towards the cliff, and so she set a desperate glyph in front of her, not minding that she would ram in it, as long as it would stop her from falling.

But as she crashed against it, the bright glyph broke in a flash, her aura bursting around her as the bright pieces of armor and the large sword vanished from her, for she had used all her energy in her last mad dash against Salem, and with a quiet curse as she tried to dig her fingers in the dirt, she planted her narrow blade in the ground as she tumbled over the edge. She saw the rapier bend dangerously under her weight, but as she dangled there she allowed herself to let out a short sigh of relief as she reached up to climb her way back up.

But as she pulled on her rapier to lift herself up a bit, the narrow blade snapped.

Gasping as her eyes widened, she desperately tried to grab the edge, a rock or a root, _just something_ that would give her the time to climb up, but her hands slipped on everything without finding purchase, her fingers hurting and probably breaking a couple of nails on the way, but it was with her heart in her throat that she started to fall as she was desperately trying to set a glyph under her feet. She crashed on it again, the thing holding her for less than half a second before it broke again, and this time, she let a scream escape her lips as she fell.

As suddenly as the last series of events, something grabbed her wrist with a firm grip, and she groaned when she crashed in the rocky side of the cliff, but she had stopped falling, the hold on her wrist tightening, and she looked up, thinking that somehow, it was Ruby.

To her complete surprise, it was straining golden eyes that stared back at her.

“Blake?” she couldn’t help but breathe, not believing her eyes.

The faunus let out a huff as she tried to pull her up with one arm, her other hand tightly wrapped up in her ribbon, and Blake grunted with effort.

“You might be small but goddammit, you feel heavy as hell,” the faunus grumbled as she panted, her arm shaking as she slowly but steadily brought the smaller woman closer to the edge.

Finally coming back from her shock, Weiss helped her as best she could, using the few rocks sticking out of the façade of the cliff to climb until, after a lot of effort from both part, they made it back up, rolling away from the edge as they took a moment to breathe.

“I’m glad I ran,” the faunus let out as she ran a hand in her hair before sitting up. “A second later and you would be at the bottom of the cliff.”

She sighed as she glanced around, furrowing her brows as she saw Weiss get back to her feet, grabbing her broken rapier and spinning on her heels, searching for something as the smaller woman was panting. But when she turned around, facing the faunus as she glanced around, Blake saw the blood that covered her clothes, and quickly jumped to her feet.

“Weiss, are you hurt? Is Ruby hurt?”

“Ruby!” Weiss only called, still glancing around. “Ruby!”

“Weiss?”

“ _RUBY!_ ”

“Weiss!” the faunus tried to catch her attention, grabbing her shoulders firmly. “What’s happening? You’re covered in blood! Where’s Lucky? Where’s Ruby? Salem?”

“Lucky…” the smaller woman felt her breath catch in her throat, and Blake must have seen her face change because her ears fell flat on her head as she took a step back.

“No,” she softly breathed.

“And Ruby… She was right in front of me, I couldn’t- I couldn’t have lost her, Blake, I could touch her cloak if I reached for it!”

“But where is she?”

“I don’t know!”

Her voice broke, making her answer almost inaudible as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, spinning on her heels again to look around, her breathing starting to get shallow and quick as the events were settling in her head, panic spreading like wildfire in her mind.

“They were-” her voice broke again as she took in a breath, trying to talk through her pants. “They were right here! I was following Ruby, I was so close, but I- I don’t understand, Blake, I was _so close_ and now I don’t know where she is, and she’s alone with Salem, and Lucky’s dead, and I’m- I’m- I’m-”

She felt herself being engulfed in Blake’s arms, and as the faunus held her she could feel how she was shaking, see the hand gripping desperately at her broken rapier hurt and bloody, could hear her own breathing coming out in uneven, short rasps, but Blake only held her tightly, almost painfully so.

“We’ll find her,” the faunus assured in her ear, but her voice still trembled. “We’ll find her.”

“She’s alone with Salem,” she said again, feeling her eyes well up and a lump forming in her throat. “She’s all alone with her.”

And Blake held her tighter.

“We’ll find her.”

And as Weiss started crying, clutching the faunus’s back as she still held her broken sword in her hand, the gray sky finally started releasing what it was holding as a single snowflake fell slowly, lazily swirling in the breeze, and finally finished its course on a puddle of Salem’s blood, the flake stark white in the dark, black slime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter of this fic! Thank you for reading again, and stay tunned for the next work that will follow!
> 
> P.S. It's, like, 4 a.m. right now, and I've been sucked by this chapter, really. I'm already excited to start the next one! But this was one hell of a ride haha


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